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THE ADVENTURES OF 
CAPTAIN HORN 


FRANK R. STOCKTON’S WRITINGS 


New Uniform Edition 

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THE ADVENTURES OF 
CAPTAIN HORN 


BY 

FRANK R. STOCKTON 
'\ 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 


* Q> 


COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 


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CONTENTS 


ORi.PTIB PAOB 


I. 

An Introductory Disaster 

. 


• 


1 

II. 

A New Face in Camp . 

. 


• 


6 

m. 

A Change of Lodgings 

. 

• 



13 

IV. 

Another New Face 

. 

• 



22 

V. 

The Rackbirds 

. 

• 



28 

VI. 

Three Wild Beasts 

. 




35 

VII. 

Gone ! . . . . 





43 

VIII. 

The Alarm 

. 




53 

IX. 

An Amazing Narration 

. 




58 

X. 

The Captain Explores . 

. 




64 

XI. 

A New Hemisphere 

• 




70 

XII. 

A Tradition and a Waistcoat 




78 

XIII. 

“ Mine ! ” . 





84 

XIV. 

A Pile of Fuel 

. 




92 

XV. 

The Cliff-Maka Scheme 

. 




98 

XVI. 

On a Business Basis 

. 




108 

XVII. 

A Fine Thing, no matter what 

Happens 


117 

XVIII. 

Mrs. Cliff is Amazed . 

. 




121 

XIX. 

Left Behind . 





130 


T 


VI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 


XX. 

At the Rackbirds’ Cove . 

. 

136 

XXI. 

In the Caves .... 

. 

142 

XXII. 

A Pack-mule .... 

. 

151 

XXIII. 

His Present Share . 

. 

158 

XXIV. 

His Fortune under his Feet 

. 

165 

XXV. 

At the Palmetto Hotel 

. 

172 

XXVI, 

The Captain’s Letter 

. 

178 

XXVII. 

Edna makes her Plans . 

. 

195 

XXVIII. 

“ Home, Sweet Home ” 

. . 

201 

XXIX. 

A Committee of Ladies . 

. 

209 

XXX. 

At the Hotel Boileau . 

. 

217 

XXXI. 

Waiting 

. 

224 

XXXII. 

A Mariner’s Wits take a Little Flight 

233 

XXXIII. 

The “Miranda” takes in Cargo 

. 

240 

XXXIV. 

Burke and his Chisel 

• 

248 

XXXV. 

The Captain writes a Letter 

. 

256 

XXXVI. 

A Horse dealer appears on the 

Scene 

261 

XXXVII. 

The “ Arato ” . 

. 

269 

XXXVIII. 

The Coast of Patagonia 

• 

278 

XXXIX. 

Shirley spies a Sail 

. 

286 

XL, 

The Battle of the Golden Wall 

293 

XLI. 

The “Arato” anchors nearer Shore. 

302 

XLTI. 

Inkspot has a Dream of Heaven 

. 

311 

XLIII. 

Mok as a Vocalist . 

. 

322 

XLIV. 

Mr. Banker’s Speculation 

• • 

329 


CONTENTS 


vii 


CHAPTER 

XLV. 

Mental Turmoils 

• • 


PAGE 

339 

XLVI. 

A Problem . 

. 

. 

345 

XLVII. 

A Man Chimpanzee 

. 

. 

353 

XLVIII. 

Enter Captain Horn . 

. 

. 

363 

XLIX. 

A Golden Afternoon * 

. 

. 

371 

L. 

A Case of Kecognition 

. 

. 

378 

LI. 

Banker does some Important Business . 

389 

LIT. 

The Captain takes his 

Stand . 

. 

394 

LIII. 

A Little Gleam Afar 

. 


399 



THE ADVENTTJHES OF CAPTAIN HOEN 


CHAPTER I 

AN INTRODUCTORY DISASTER 

Early in the spring of the year 1884 the three- 
masted schooner Castor,” from San Francisco to Val- 
paraiso, was struck by a tornado off the coast of Peru. 
The storm, which rose with frightful suddenness, was of 
short duration, but it left the Castor ” a helpless wreck. 
Her masts had snapped off and gone overboard; her 
sternpost had been shattered by falling wreckage, and 
she was rolling in the trough of the sea with her floating 
masts and spars thumping and bumping her sides. 

The Castor ” was an American merchant vessel, com- 
manded by Captain Philip Horn, an experienced navigator 
of about thirty-five years of age. Besides a valuable 
cargo she carried three passengers, two ladies and a boy. 
One of these, Mrs. William Cliff, a lady past middle age, 
was going to Valparaiso to settle some business affairs of 
her late husband, a Hew England merchant. The other 
lady was Miss Edna Markham, a school-teacher who had 
just passed her twenty-fifth year, although she looked 
older. She was on her way to Valparaiso to take an 
important position in an American seminary. Ealph, a 

B 1 


2 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


boy of fifteen, was her brother, and she was taking him 
with her simply because she did not want to leave him 
alone in San Francisco. These two had no near rela- 
tions, and the education of the brother depended upon 
the exertions of the sister. Valparaiso was not the place 
she would have selected for a boy’s education, but there 
they could be together, and, under the circumstances, 
that was a point of prime importance. 

But when the storm had passed and the sky was clear 
and the mad waves had subsided into a rolling swell, 
there seemed no reason to believe that any one on board 
the Castor” would ever reach Valparaiso. The vessel 
had been badly strained by the wrenching of the masts, 
her sides had been battered by the floating wreckage, 
and she was taking in water rapidly. Fortunately no 
one had been injured by the storm, and although the 
Captain found it would be a useless waste of time and 
labor to attempt to work the pumps, he was convinced, 
after a careful examination, that the ship would float 
some hours and that there would, therefore, be time for 
those on board to make an effort to save not only their 
lives, but some of their property. 

All the boats had been blown from their davits, but 
one of them was floating, apparently uninjured, a short 
distance to leeward ; one of the heavy blocks by which 
it had been suspended having caught in the cordage of 
the topmast so that it was securely moored. Another 
boat, a small one, was seen bottom upward about an 
eighth of a mile to leeward. Two seamen, each pushing 
an oar before him, swam out to the nearest boat, and 
having got on board of her and freed her from her en- 
tanglements, they rowed out to the capsized boat and 
towed it to the schooner. When this boat had been 


AN INTRODUCTORY DISASTER 


3 


righted and bailed out, it was found to be in good con- 
dition. 

The sea had become almost quiet, and there was time 
enough to do everything orderly and properly, and in 
less than three hours after the vessel had been struck, 
the two boats, containing all the crew and the passengers, 
besides a goodly quantity of provisions and water, and 
such valuables, clothing, rugs, and wraps as room could 
be found for, were pulling away from the wreck. 

The Captain, who, with his passengers, was in the 
larger boat, was aware that he was off the coast of Peru, 
but that was all he certainly knew of his position. The 
storm had struck the ship in the morning before he had 
taken his daily observation, and his room, which was on 
deck, had been carried away and in it every nautical 
instrument on board. He did not believe that the storm 
had taken him far out of his course, but of this he could 
not be sure ; all that he knew with certainty was that to 
the eastward lay the land, and eastward, therefore, they 
pulled, a little compass attached to the Captain’s watch 
guard being their only guide. 

For the rest of that day and that night and the next 
day and the next night, the two boats moved eastward, 
the people on board suffering but little inconvenience, 
except from the labor of continuous rowing, at which 
everybody, excepting the two ladies, took part, even 
Ealph Markham being willing to show how much of a 
man he could be with an oar in his hand. 

The weather was fine and the sea was almost smooth, 
and as the Captain had rigged up in his boat a tent-like 
covering of canvas for the ladies, they were, as they 
repeatedly declared, far more comfortable than they had 
any right to expect. They were both women of resource 


4 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


and courage. Mrs. Cliff, tall, thin in face, with her gray- 
hair brushed plainly over her temples, was a woman of 
strong frame, who would have been perfectly willing to 
take an oar had it been necessary. To Miss Markham 
this boat trip would have been a positive pleasure* had it 
not been for the unfortunate circumstances which made 
it necessary. 

On the morning of the third day land was sighted, but 
it was afternoon before they reached it. Here they 
found themselves on a portion of the coast where the 
foothills of the great mountains stretch themselves 
almost down to the edge of the ocean. To all appear- 
ances the shore was barren and uninhabited. 

The two boats rowed along the coast a mile or two to 
the southward, but could find no good landing-place, but 
reaching a spot less encumbered with rocks than any 
other portion of the coast they had seen. Captain Horn 
determined to try to beach his boat there. The landing 
was accomplished in safety, although with some diffi- 
culty, and that night was passed in a little encampment 
in the shelter of some rocks scarcely a hundred yards 
from the sea. 

The next morning Captain Horn took counsel with 
his mates and considered the situation. They were on 
an uninhabited portion of the coast, and it was not 
believed that there was any town or settlement near 
enough to be reached by walking over such wild country, 
especially with ladies in the party. . It was, therefore, 
determined to seek succor by means of the sea. They 
might be near one of the towns or villages along the coast 
of Peru, and in any case a boat, manned by the best oars- 
men of the party and loaded as lightly as possible, might 
hope, in the course of a day or two, to reach some port 


AN INTRODUCTORY DISASTER 


6 


from whicli a vessel might be sent out to take off the 
remainder of the party. 

But first Captain Horn ordered a thorough investiga- 
tion to be made of the surrounding country, and in an 
hour or two a place was found which he believed would 
answer very well for a camping ground until assistance 
should arrive. This was on a little plateau about a quar- 
ter of a mile back from the ocean and surrounded on three 
sides by precipices ; and on the side toward the sea the 
ground sloped gradually downward. To this camping 
ground all of the provisions and goods were carried, 
excepting what would be needed by the boating party. 

When this work had been accomplished, Captain Horn 
appointed his first mate to command the expedition, 
deciding to remain himself in the camp. When volun- 
teers were called for, it astonished the Captain to see 
how many of the sailors desired to go. 

The larger boat pulled six oars, and seven men, besides 
the mate Eynders, were selected to go in her, and as soon 
as she could be got ready she was launched and started 
southward on her voyage of discovery, the mate having 
first taken such good observation of the landmarks that 
he felt sure he would have no difficulty in finding the 
spot where he left his companions. The people in the 
little camp on the bluff now consisted of Captain Horn, 
the two ladies, the boy Ealph, three sailors, — one an 
Englishman, and the other two Americans from Cape Cod, 
— and a jet-black native African, known as Maka. 

Captain Horn had not cared to keep many men with 
him in the camp because there they would have little to 
do, and all the strong arms that could be spared would be 
needed in the boat. The three sailors he had retained 
were men of intelligence on whom he believed he could 


THE AEVENTITRES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


rely in case of emergency, and Maka was kept because 
he was a cook. He had been one of the cargo of a slave 
ship which had been captured by a British cruiser several 
years before when on its way to Cuba, and the unfortu- 
nate negroes had been landed in British Guiana. It was 
impossible to return them to Africa, because none of them 
could speak English, or in any way give an idea as to 
what tribes they belonged ; and if they should be landed 
anywhere in Africa except among their friends, they 
would be immediately re-enslaved. For some years they 
lived in Guiana in a little colony by themselves, and 
then, a few of them having learned some English, they 
made their way to Panama, where they obtained employ- 
ment as laborers on the great canal. Maka, who was 
possessed of better intelligence than most of his fellows, 
improved a good deal in his English and learned to cook 
very well, and having wandered to San Francisco had 
been employed for two or three voyages by Captain 
Horn. Maka was a faithful and willing servant, and if 
he had been able to express himself more intelligibly, his 
merits might have been better appreciated. 


CHAPTER II 

A NEW FACE IN CAMP 

The morning after the departure of the boat. Cap- 
tain Horn, in company with the Englishman, Davis, each 
armed with a gun, set out on a tour of investigation, hoping 
to be able to ascend the rocky hills at the back of the camp 
and find some elevated point commanding a view over the 


A NEW FACE IN CAME 


7 


ocean. After a good deal of hard climbing they reached 
such a point, but the Captain found that the main object 
was really out of his reach. He could now plainly see 
that a high rocky point to the southward, which stretched 
some distance out to sea, would cut off all view of the 
approach of rescuers coming from that direction, until 
they were within a mile or two of his landing-place. 
Back from the sea the hills grew higher until they 
blended into the lofty stretches of the Andes, this being 
one of the few points where the hilly country extends to 
the ocean. 

The coast to the north curved a little oceanward, so 
that a much more extended view could be had in that 
direction, but as far as he could see by means of a little 
pocket glass which the boy Ralph had lent him, the Cap- 
tain could discover no signs of habitation, and in this 
direction the land seemed to be a flat desert. When he 
returned to camp about noon, he had made up his mind 
that the proper thing to do was to make himself and his 
companions as comfortable as possible and patiently await 
the return of his mate with succor. 

Captain Horn was very well satisfied with his present 
place of encampment. Although rain is unknown in this 
western portion of Peru, which is therefore in general 
desolate and barren, there are parts of the country that 
are irrigated by streams which flow from the snow-capped 
peaks of the Andes, and one of these fertile spots the 
Captain seemed to have happened upon. On the plateau 
there grew a few bushes, while the face of the rock in 
places was entirely covered by hanging vines. This fer- 
tility greatly puzzled Captain Horn, for nowhere was to 
be seen any stream of water or signs of there ever having 
been any. But they had with them water enough to last 


8 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


for several days, and provisions for a much longer time, 
and the Captain felt little concern on this account. 

As for lodgings, there were none excepting the small 
tent which he had put up for the ladies, but a few nights 
in the open air in that dry climate would not hurt the 
male portion of the party. 

In the course of the afternoon, the two American sailors 
came to Captain Horn and asked permission to go to look 
for game. The Captain had small hopes of their find- 
ing anything suitable for food, but feeling sure that if 
they should be successful, every one would be glad of a 
little fresh meat, he gave his permission, at the same 
time requesting the men to do their best in the way of 
observation, if they should get up high enough to survey 
the country, and discover some signs of habitation, if 
such existed in that barren region. It would be a great 
relief to the Captain to feel that there was some spot of 
refuge to which, by land or water, his party might make 
its way in case the water and provisions gave out before 
the return of the mate. 

As to the men who went off in the boat, the Captain 
expected to see but a few of them again. One or two 
might return with the mate in such vessel as he should 
obtain in which to come for them, but the most of them, 
if they reached a seaport, would scatter after the manner 
of seamen. 

The two sailors departed, promising if they could not 
bring back fish or fowl, to return before dark with a 
report of the lay of the land. 

It was very well that Maka did not have to depend 
on these hunters for the evening meal, for night came 
without them, and the next morning they had not re- 
turned. The Captain was very much troubled. The men 


A NEW FACE IN CAMP 


9 


must be lost, or they had met with some accident; there 
could be no other reason for their continued absence. 
They had each a gun and plenty of powder and shot, but 
they had taken only provisions enough for a single meal. 

Davis offered to go up the hills to look for the missing 
men. He had lived for some years in the bush in Aus- 
tralia, and he thought that there was a good chance of 
his discovering their tracks, but the Captain shook his 
head. 

‘^You are just as likely to get lost or to fall over a rock 
as anybody else,” he said, and it is better to have two 
men lost than three. But there is one thing that you 
can do. You can go down to the beach and make your 
way southward as far as possible. There you can find 
your way back, and if you take a gun and fire it every 
now and then, you may attract the attention of Shirley 
and Burke if they are on the hills above, and perhaps 
they may even be able to see you as you walk along. 
If they are alive, they will probably see or hear you and 
fire in answer. It is a very strange thing that we have 
not heard a shot from them.” 

Kalph begged to accompany the Englishman, for he 
was getting very restless, and longed for a ramble and 
scramble ; but neither the Captain nor his sister would 
consent to this, and Davis started off alone. 

^^If you can round the point down there,” said the 
Captain to him, do it, for you may see a town or houses 
not far away on the other side ; but don’t take any risks. 
At all events, make your calculations so that you will be 
back here before dark.” 

The Captain and Kalph assisted the two ladies to a 
ledge of rock near the camp from which they could 
watch the Englishman on his way. . They saw him reach 


10 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the beach, and after going on a short distance he fired 
his gun, after which he pressed forward, now and then 
stopping to fire again. Even from their inconsiderable 
elevation they could see him until he must have been 
more than a mile away, and he soon after vanished from 
their view. 

As on the previous day darkness came without the two 
American sailors, so now it came without the English- 
man, and in the morning he had not returned. Of course 
every mind was filled with anxiety in regard to the three 
sailors, but Captain Horn’s soul was racked with apprehen- 
sions of which he did not speak. The conviction forced 
itself upon him that the men had been killed by wild 
beasts. He could imagine no other reason why Davis 
should not have returned. He had been ordered not to 
leave the beach, and therefore could not lose his way. 
He was a wary, careful man, used to exploring rough 
country, and he was not likely to take any chances of 
disabling himself by a fall while on such an expedition. 

Although he knew that the great jaguar was found in 
Peru as well as the puma and black bear, the Captain 
had not supposed it likely that any of these creatures 
frequented the barren western slopes of the mountains, 
but he now reflected that there were lions in the deserts 
of Africa, and that the beasts of prey in South America 
might also be found in its deserts. 

A great responsibility now rested upon Captain Horn. 
He was the only man left in camp who could be depended 
upon as a defender, for Maka was known to be a coward, 
and Ralph was only a boy ; and it was with a shrinking of 
the heart that he asked himself what would be the conse- 
quences if a couple of jaguars or other ferocious beasts 
were to appear upon that unprotected plateau in the night, 


A NEW FACE IN CAMP 


11 


or even in the daytime. He had two guns, but he was 
only one man. These thoughts were not cheerful, but 
the Captain’s face showed no signs of alarm, or even 
unusual anxiety, and with a smile on his handsome brown 
countenance, he bade the ladies good morning as if he 
were saluting them upon a quarter-deck. 

I have been thinking all night about those three men,” 
said Miss Markham, ‘^and I have imagined something 
which may have happened. Isn’t it possible that they 
may have discovered at a distance some inland settlement 
which could not be seen by the party in the boat, and that 
they thought it their duty to push their way to it, and 
so get assistance for us ? In that case you know they 
would probably be a long time coming back.” 

‘^That is possible,” said the Captain, glad to hear a 
hopeful supposition, but in his heart he had no faith in it 
whatever. If Davis had seen a village, or even a Jiouse, 
he would have come back to report it ; and if the others 
had found human habitation, they would have had ample 
time to return either by land or by sea. 

The restless Kalph, who had chafed a good deal because 
he had not been allowed to leave the plateau in search of 
adventure, now found a vent for his surplus energy, for 
the Captain appointed him fire-maker. The camp fuel 
was not abundant, consisting of nothing but some dead 
branches and twigs from the few bushes in the neighbor- 
hood. These Ralph collected with great energy, and 
Maka had nothing to complain of in regard to fuel for 
his cooking. 

Toward the end of that afternoon Ralph prepared to 
make a fire for the supper, and he determined to change 
the position of the fireplace and bring it nearer the rocks, 
where he thought it would burn better. It did burn 


12 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


better; so well, indeed, that some of the dry leaves of 
the vines that there covered the face of the rocks took 
fire. Ralph watched with interest the dry leaves blaze 
and the green ones splutter, and then he thought it 
would be a pity to scorch those vines, which were among 
the few green things about them, and he tried to put out 
the fire ; but this he could not do, and when he called 
Maka, the negro was not able to help him. The fire had 
worked its way back of the green vines and seemed to 
have found good fuel, for it was soon crackling away at 
a great rate, attracting the rest of the party. 

Can^t we put it out ? ’’ cried Miss Markham ; “ it is a 
pity to ruin those beautiful vines.” 

The Captain smiled and shook his head. We cannot 
waste our valuable water on that conflagration,” said he. 
“ I expect there is a great mass of dead vines behind the 
green outside. How it crackles and roars ! That dead 
stuff must be several feet thick. All we can do is to let 
it burn ; it cannot hurt us. It cannot reach your tent, for 
there are no vines over there.” 

The fire continued to roar and blaze, and to leap up the 
face of the rock. 

It is wonderful,” said Mrs. Cliff, to think how those 
vines must have been growing and dying, and new ones 
growing and dying, year after year, nobody knows how 
many ages.” 

“What is most wonderful to me,” said the Captain, 
“is that the vines ever grew there at all, or that these 
bushes should be here. Nothing can grow in this region 
unless it is watered by a stream from the mountains, and 
there is no stream here.” 

Miss Markham was about to offer a supposition to the 
effect that perhaps the precipitous wall of rock which 


A CHANGE OF LODGINGS 


13 


surrounded the little plateau and shielded it from the 
eastern sun might have had a good effect upon the vege- 
tation, when suddenly Ralph, who had a ship’s biscuit on 
the end of a sharp stick and was toasting it in the embers 
of a portion of the burned vines, sprang back with a 
shout. 

Look out ! ” he cried, the whole thing’s coming 
down.” And sure enough, in a moment a large portion 
of the vines, which had been clinging to the rock, fell 
upon the ground, in a burning mass. A cloud of smoke 
and dust arose, and when it had cleared away, the Captain 
and his party saw upon the perpendicular side of the 
rock, which was now revealed to them as if a veil had 
been torn away from in front of it, an enormous face 
cut out of the solid stone. 


CHAPTER III 

A CHANGE OF LODGINGS 

The great face stared down upon the little party gath- 
ered beneath it. Its chin was about eight feet above the 
ground and its stony countenance extended at least that 
distance up the cliff. Its features were in low relief, but 
clear and distinct, and a smoke-blackened patch beneath 
one of its eyes gave it a sinister appearance. From its 
wide-stretching mouth a bit of half-burned vine hung, 
trembling in the heated air, and this element of motion 
produced the impression on several of the party that the 
creature was about to open its lips. 

Mrs. Cliff gave a little scream— r she could not help it; 


14 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

and Maka sank down on his knees, his back to the rock, 
and covered his face with his hands. Ralph was the 
first to speak. 

There have been heathens around here,” he said; 

that’s a regular idol.” 

You are right,” said the Captain; ^^that is a bit of 
old-time work ; that face was cut by the original natives.” 

The two ladies were so interested and even excited, 
that they seized each other by the hands. Here before 
their faces was a piece of sculpture doubtless done by 
the people of ancient Peru, that people who were dis- 
covered by Pizarro; and this great idol, or whatever it 
was, had perhaps never before been seen by civilized 
eyes. It was wonderful, and in the conjecture and ex- 
clamation of the next half-hour, everything else was 
forgotten, even the three sailors. 

Because the Captain was the Captain it was natural 
that every one should look to him for some suggestion as 
to why this great stone face should have been carved 
here on that lonely and desolate rock. But he shook 
his head. 

have no ideas about it,” he said, “except that it 
must have been some sort of a landmark. It looks out 
towards the sea, and perhaps the ancient inhabitants put 
it there so that people in ships, coming near enough to 
the coast, should know where they were. Perhaps it 
was intended to act as a lighthouse to warn seamen off 
a dangerous coast. But I must say that I do not see 
how it could do that, for they would have had to come 
pretty close to the shore to see it, unless they had better 
glasses than we have.” 

The sun was now near the horizon, and Maka was 
lifted to his feet by the Captain and ordered to stop 


A CHANGE IN LODGINGS 


15 


groaning in African and go to work to get supper on the 
glowing embers of the vines. He obeyed, of course, but 
never did he turn his face upward to that gaunt counte- 
nance, which grinned and winked and frowned whenever 
a bit of twig blazed up, or the coals were stirred by the 
trembling negro. 

After supper and until the light had nearly faded from 
the western sky the two ladies sat and watched that vast 
face upon the rocks, its features growing more and more 
solemn as the light decreased. 

I wish I had a long-handled broom,’’ said Mrs. Cliff ; 
“for if the dust and smoke and ashes of burnt leaves 
were brushed from off its nose and eyebrows, I believe it 
would have a rather gracious expression.” 

As for the Captain, he went walking about on the out- 
lying portion of the plateau, listening and watching, but 
it was not stone faces he was thinking of. That night 
he did not sleep at all, but sat until daybreak with a 
loaded gun across his knees and another one lying on 
the ground beside him. 

When Miss Markham emerged from the rude tent the 
next morning and came out into the bright light of day, 
the first thing she saw was her brother Ealph, who 
looked as if he had been sweeping a chimney or cleaning 
out an ash-hole. 

“What on earth has happened to you?” she cried. 
“How did you get yourself so covered with dirt and 
ashes ? ” 

“ I got up ever so long ago,” he replied, “ and as the 
Captain is asleep over there, and there was nobody to 
talk to, I thought I would go and try to find the back of 
his head,” — pointing to the stone face above them, — 

^ut he hasn’t any. He is a sham,” 


16 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


What do you mean ? ” asked his sister. 

“ You see, Edna,’’ said the boy, “ I thought I would try 
if I could find any more faces, and so I got a bit of stone 
and scratched away some of the burnt vines that had not 
fallen, and there I found an open place in the rock on this 
side of the face. Step this way, and you can see it. It’s 
like a narrow doorway. I went and looked into it and 
saw that it led back of the big face, and I went in to see 
what was there.” 

You should never have done that, Ealph,” cried his 
sister ; there might have been snakes in that place or 
precipices, or nobody knows what. What could you 
expect to see in the dark ? ” 

“ It wasn’t so dark as you might think,” said he ; after 
my eyes got used to the place I could see very well. But 
there was nothing to see ; just walls on each side. There 
was more of the passage-way ahead of me, but I began to 
think of snakes myself, and as I did not have a club or 
anything to kill them with, I concluded I wouldn’t go 
any farther. It isn’t so very dirty in there. Most of 
this I got on myself scraping down the burnt vines. Here 
comes the Captain ; he doesn’t generally oversleep himself 
like this. If he will go with me, we will explore that 
crack.” 

When Captain Horn heard of the passage into the rock, 
he was much more interested than Ealph had expected 
him to be, and without loss of time he lighted a lantern, 
and, with the boy behind him, set out to investigate it. But 
before entering the cleft, the Captain stationed Maka at 
a place where he could view all the approaches to the 
plateau, and told him if he saw any snakes or other dan- 
gerous things approaching, to run to the opening and call 
him, Now snakes were among the few things that Maka 


A CHANGE IN LODGINGS 


IT 


was not afraid of, and so long as he thought these were 
the enemies to be watched, he would make a most efd- 
cient sentinel. 

When Captain Horn had cautiously advanced a couple 
of yards into the interior of the rock, he stopped, raised 
his lantern, and looked about him. The passage was 
about two feet wide, the floor somewhat lower than the 
ground outside, and the roof but a few feet above his 
head. It was plainly the work of man, and not a natural 
crevice in the rocks. Then the Captain put the lantern 
behind him and stared into the gloom ahead of them. 
As Ealph had said, it was not so dark as might have been 
expected. In fact, about twenty feet forward there was a 
dim light on the right-hand wall. 

The Captain, still followed by Ealph, now moved on 
until they came to this lighted place and found it was an 
open doorway. Both heads together they peeped in, and 
saw it was an opening like a doorway into a chamber 
about fifteen feet square and with very high walls. 
They scarcely needed the lantern to examine it, for a 
jagged opening in the roof let in a good deal of light. 

Passing into this chamber, keeping a good watch out for 
pitfalls as he moved on, and forgetting in his excitement 
that he might go so far that he could not hear Maka 
should he call, the Captain saw to the right another open 
doorway, on the other side of which was another chamber 
about the size of the one they had first entered. One side 
of this was a good deal broken away, and through a frac- 
ture three or four feet wide, the light entered freely, as if 
from the open air. But when the two explorers peered 
through the ragged aperture, they did not look into the 
open air, but into another chamber, very much larger 
than the others, with high, irregxdar w^H§, but with 
c 


18 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


scarcely any roof, almost the whole of the upper part 
being open to the sky. 

A mass of broken rocks on the floor of this apartment 
showed that the roof had fallen in. The Captain entered 
it and carefully examined it. A portion of the floor was 
level and unobstructed by rocks, and in the walls there 
was not the slightest sign of a doorway except the one 
by which he had entered from the adjoining chamber. 

Hurrah ! ” cried Ralph ; here is a suite of rooms. 
Isn’t this grand? You and I can have that first one, 
Maka can sleep in the hall to keep out burglars, and 
Edna and Mrs. Cliff can have the middle room, and this 
open place here can be their garden where they can take 
tea and sew. These rocks will make splendid tables and 
chairs.” 

The Captain stood, breathing hard, a sense of relief 
coming over him like the warmth of fire. He had 
thought of what Ralph had said before the boy had 
spoken. Here was safety from wild beasts, here was 
immunity from the only danger he could imagine to 
those under his charge. It might be days yet before the 
mate returned, — he knew the probable difficulties of ob- 
taining a vessel, even when a port should be reached, — 
but they would be safe here from the attacks of fero- 
cious animals, principally to be feared in the night. 
They might well be thankful for such a good place as 
this in which to await the arrival of succor, if succor 
came before their water gave out. There were biscuits, 
salt meat, tea, and other things enough to supply their 
wants for perhaps a week longer, provided the three 
sailors did not return, but the supply of water, although 
they were very economical of it, must give out in a day 
or two. But,” thought the Captain, Rynders may be 


A CHANGE IN LODGINGS 


19 


back before that, and, on the other hand, a family of 
jaguars might scent us out to-night.” 

You are right, my boy,” said he, speaking to Kalph ; 
^^here is a suite of rooms, and we will occupy them just 
as you have said. They are dry and airy, and it will be 
far better for us to sleep here than out of doors.” 

As they returned, Ealph was full of talk about the 
grand find; but the Captain made no answers to his 
remarks — his mind was busy contriving some means of 
barricading the narrow entrance at night. 

When breakfast was over, and the entrance to the rocks 
had been made cleaner and easier by the efforts of Maka 
and Ealph, the ladies were conducted to the suite of 
rooms which Ealph had described in such glowing terms. 
Both were filled with curiosity to see these apartments, 
especially Miss Markham, who was fairly well read in 
the history of South America, and who had already 
imagined that the vast mass of rock by which they had 
camped might be in reality a temple of the ancient Peru- 
vians, to which the stone face was a sacred sentinel. 
But when the three apartments had been thoroughly 
explored, she was disappointed. 

There is not a sign or architectural adornment or any- 
thing that seems to have the least religious significance, 
or significance of any sort,” she said ; “ these are nothing 
but three stone rooms with their roofs more or less broken 
in. They do not even suggest dungeons.” 

As for Mrs. Cliff, she did not hesitate to say that she 
should prefer to sleep in the open air. 

^^It would be dreadful,” she said, ^^to awaken in 
the night and think of those great stone walls about 
me.” 

Even Ealph remarked that, on second thought, he 


20 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


believed he would rather sleep out of doors, for he 
liked to look up and see the stars before he went to 
sleep. 

At first the Captain was a little annoyed to find that 
this place of safety, the discovery of which had given him 
such satisfaction and relief, was looked upon with such 
disfavor by those who needed it so very much, but then 
the thought came to him, Why should they care about 
a place of safety, when they have no idea of danger ? ” 
He did not now hesitate to settle the matter in the most 
straightforward and honest way. Having a place of 
refuge to offer, the time had come to speak of the danger ; 
and so, standing in the larger apartment and addressing 
his party, he told them of the fate he feared had over- 
taken the three sailors, and how anxious he had been lest 
the same fate should come upon some one or all of them. 

How vanished every spark of opposition to the Cap- 
tain’s proffered lodgings. 

If we should be here but one night longer,” cried Mrs. 
Cliff, echoing the Captain’s thought, let us be safe.” 

In the course of the day the two rooms were made 
as comfortable as circumstances would allow with the 
blankets, shawls, and canvas which had been brought on 
shore, and that night they all slept in the rock chambers, 
the Captain having made a barricade for the opening of 
the narrow passage with the four oars, which he brought 
up from the boat. Even should these be broken down 
by some wild beast. Captain Horn felt that with his two 
guns at the end of the narrow passage, he might defend 
his party from the attacks of any of the savage animals 
of the country. 

The Captain slept soundly that night, for he had had 
but a nap of an hour or two on the previous morning, and 


A CHANGE IN LODGINGS 


21 


with Maka stretched in the passage outside the door of 
his room he knew that he would have timely warning of 
danger, should any come. But Mrs. Cliff did not sleep 
well^ spending a large part of the night imagining the 
descent of active carnivora down the lofty and perpen- 
dicular walls of the large adjoining apartment. 

The next day was passed rather wearily by most of the 
party, looking out for signs of a vessel with the returning 
mate. Ralph had made a flag which he could wave from 
a high point near by, in case he should see a sail, for it 
would be a great misfortune should Mr. Rynders pass 
them without knowing it. 

To the Captain, however, came a new and terrible 
anxiety. He had looked into the water keg and saw 
that it held but a few quarts. It had not lasted as 
long as he had expected, for this was a thirsty climate. 

The next night Mrs. Cliff slept, having been convinced 
that not even a cat could come down those walls. The 
Captain woke very early, and when he went out he found 
to his amazement that the barricade had been removed, 
and he could not see Maka. He thought at flrst that per- 
haps the negro had gone down to the seashore to get some 
water for washing purposes, but an hour passed and Maka 
did not return. The whole party went down to the beach, 
for the Captain insisted upon all keeping together. They 
shouted, they called, they did whatever they could to 
discover the lost African, but all without success. 

They returned to camp, disheartened and depressed. 
This new loss had something terrible in it. What it 
meant no one could conjecture. There was no reason 
why Maka should run away, for there was no place to 
run to, and it was impossible that any wild beast should 
have removed the oars and carried off the negro. 


22 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER IV 

ANOTHER NEW FACE 

As the cook had gone, Mrs. Cliff and Miss Markham 
prepared breakfast, and then they discovered how little 
water there was. 

There was something mysterious about the successive 
losses of his men which pressed heavily upon the soul of 
Captain Horn, but the want of water pressed still more 
heavily. Ralph had just asked his permission to go 
down to the beach and bathe in the sea, saying that as he 
could not have all the water he wanted to drink it might 
make him feel better to take a swim in plenty of water. 
The boy was not allowed to go so far from camp by him- 
self, but the Captain could not help thinking how this 
poor fellow would probably feel the next day if help had 
not arrived, and of the sufferings of the others, which, by 
that time, would have begun. Still, as before, he spoke 
hopefully, and the two women, as brave as he, kept up 
good spirits; and although they each thought of the 
waterless morrow, they said nothing about it. 

As for Ralph, he confidently expected the return of 
the men in the course of the day, as he had done in the 
course of each preceding day, and two or three times an 
hour he was at his post of observation, ready to wave his 
flag. 

Even had he supposed that it would be of any use to go 
to look for Maka, a certain superstitious feeling would 
have prevented the Captain from doing so. If he should 
go out and not return, there would be but little hope for 
those two women and the boy. But he could not help 
feeling that beyond the rocky plateau which stretched 


ANOTHER NEW FACE 


23 


out into the sea to the southward, and which must be at 
least two miles away, there might be seen some signs of 
habitation, and consequently of a stream. If anything 
of the sort could be seen, it might become absolutely 
necessary for the party to make their way toward it, 
either by land or sea, no matter how great the fatigue 
or the danger, and without regard to the fate of those 
who had left camp before them. 

About half an hour afterward, when the Captain had 
mounted some rocks near by from which he thought he 
might get a view of the flat region to the north on which 
he might discover the missing negro, Ealph, who was 
looking seaward, gave a start and then hurriedly called 
to his sister and Mrs. Cliff and pointed to the beach. 
There was the figure of a man which might well be Maka, 
but to their amazement and consternation, he was run- 
ning, followed, not far behind, by another man. The fig- 
ures rapidly approached, and it was soon seen that the 
first man was Maka, but that the second figure was not 
one of the sailors who had left them. Could he be pur- 
suing Maka ? What on earth did it mean ? 

For some moments Ealph stood dumfounded, and then 
ran in the direction in which the Captain had gone, and 
called to him. 

At the sound of his voice the second figure stopped and 
turned as if he were about to run, but Maka — they were 
sure it was Maka — seized him by the arm and held him ; 
therefore this newcomer could not be pursuing their 
man. As the two now came forward, Maka hurrying 
the other on, Ealph and his two companions were amazed 
to see that this second man was also an African, a negro 
very much like Maka, and as they drew nearer, the two 
looked as if they might have been brothers. 


24 


THE AD VENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


The Captain had wandered further than he had in- 
tended, but after several shouts from Ralph he came run- 
ning back and reached the camp-ground just as the two 
negroes arrived. 

At the sight of this tall man bounding towards him 
the strange negro appeared to be seized with a wild ter- 
ror ; he broke away from Maka and ran first in this direc- 
tion and then in that, and perceiving the cleft in the face 
of the rock, he blindly rushed into it as a rat would rush 
into a hole. Instantly Maka was after him, and the two 
were lost to view. 

When the Captain had been told of the strange > 
thing which had happened, he stood without a word. 
Another African! This was a puzzle too great for his 
brain. 

‘‘ Are you sure it was not a native of these parts ? ” 
said he, directly. “ You know they are very dark.’’ 

“No!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff and her companions, 
almost in the same breath, “it was an African, exactly 
like Maka,” 

At this moment a wild yell was heard from the interior 
of the rocks, then another and another. Without wait- 
ing to consider anything or hear any more, the Captain 
dashed into the narrow passage, Ralph close behind him. 
They ran into the room in which they had slept ; they 
looked on all sides, but saw nothing. Again, far away, 
they heard another yell, and they ran out again into the 
passage. 

This narrow entry, as the investigating Ralph had 
already discovered, continued for a dozen yards past the 
doorway which led to the chambers, but there it ended 
in a rocky wall about five feet high. Above this was an 
aperture extending to the roof of the passage, but Ralph, 


ANOTHER NEW FACE 


^5 


having a wholesome fear of snakes, had not cared to 
climb over the wall to see what was beyond. 

When the Captain and Ralph had reached the end of 
the passage, they heard another cry, and there could be 
no doubt that it came through the aperture by which 
they stood. Instantly Ralph scrambled to the top of 
the wall, pushed himself head-foremost through the 
opening, and came down on the other side partly on his 
hands and partly on his feet. Had the Captain been 
first, he would not have made such a rash leap, but now 
he did not hesitate a second ; he instantly followed the 
boy, taking care, however, to let himself down on his 
feet. 

The passage on the other side of the dividing wall 
seemed to be the same as that they had just left, although 
perhaps a little lighter. After pushing on for a short 
distance, they found that the passage made a turn to the 
right ; and then in a few moments the Captain and 
Ralph emerged into open space. What sort of space it 
was they could not comprehend. 

It seemed to me,’’ said Ralph, afterward, as if I had 
fallen into the sky at night. I was afraid to move for 
fear I should tumble into astronomical distances.” 

The Captain stared about him, apparently as much 
confounded by the situation as was the boy, but his mind 
was quickly brought to the consideration of things which 
he could understands Almost at his feet was Maka, 
lying on his face, his arms and head over the edge of 
what might be a bank or a bottomless precipice, and 
yelling piteously. Making a step toward him, the Cap- 
tain saw that he had hold of another man, several feet 
below him, and that he could not pull him up. 

<^Hold on tight, Maka,” he cried, and then, taking 


26 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


hold of the African’s shoulders, he gave one mighty 
heave, lifted both men, and set them on their feet beside 
him. 

Ealph would have willingly sacrificed the rest of his 
school days to be able to perform such a feat as that, 
but the Africans were small, and the Captain was wildly 
excited. 

Well might he be excited. He was wet ! The strange 
man whom he had pulled up had stumbled against him, 
and he was dripping with water. Ealph was by the 
Captain, tightly gripping his arm, and without speaking 
they both stood gazing before them and around them. 

At their feet, stretching away in one direction farther 
than they could see, and what at first sight they had 
taken to be air, was a body of water — a lake ! Above 
them were rocks, and as far as they could see to the 
right, the water seemed to be overhung by a cavernous 
roof ; but in front of them, on the other side of the lake, 
which here did not seem to be more than a hundred feet 
wide, there was a great upright opening in the side of 
the cave through which they could see the distant moun- 
tains and a portion of the sky. 

Water ! ” said Ealph, in a low tone, as if he had been 
speaking in church, and then, letting go of the Captain’s 
arm, he began to examine the ledge, but five or six feet 
wide, on which they stood. At his feet the water was 
at least a yard below them, but a little distance on he 
saw that the ledge shelved down to the surface of the 
lake, and in a moment he had reached this spot, and 
throwing himself down on his breast, he plunged his 
face into the water and began drinking like a thirsty 
horse. Presently he rose to his knees with a great sigh 
of satisfaction. 


ANOTHER NEW EACH 


27 


Oh, Captain,” he cried, it is cold and delicious. I 
believe that in one hour more I should have died of 
thirst.” 

But the Captain did not answer, nor did he move from 
the spot where he stood. His thoughts whirled around 
in his mind like chaff in a winnowing-machine. Water! 
A lake in the bosom of the rocks ! Half an hour ago he 
must have been standing over it as he scrambled up the 
hillside. Visions that he had had of the morrow when 
all their eyes should be standing out of their faces, like 
the eyes of shipwrecked sailors he had seen in boats, 
came back to him, and other visions of his mate and his 
men toiling southward for perhaps a hundred miles with- 
out reaching a port or a landing, and then the long, long 
delay before a vessel could be procured, and here was 
water 1 

Ealph stood beside him for an instant. “Captain!” 
he cried, “ I am going to get a pail and take some to Edna 
and Mrs. Cliff,” and then he was gone. 

Eecalled thus to the present, the Captain stepped back. 
He must do something ; he must speak to some one. He 
must take some advantage of this wonderful, this over- 
nowering discovery. But before he could bring his mind 
down to its practical workings, Maka had clutched him 
by the coat. 

“ Cap’en,” he said, “ I must tell you. I must speak it. 
I must tell you now, quick. Wait! Don’t go! ” 


28 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER V 

THE RACKBIRDS 

The new African was sitting on the ground as far 
back from the edge of the ledge as he could get, shiver- 
ing and shaking, for the water was cold. He had ap- 
parently reached the culmination and termination of his 
fright. After his tumble into the water, which had 
happened because he had been unable to stop in his mad 
flight, he had not nerve enough left to do anything 
more, no matter what should appear to scare him, and 
there was really no reason why he should be afraid of 
this big white man, who did not even look at him or 
give him a thought. 

Makars tale, which he told so rapidly and incoherently 
that he was frequently obliged to repeat portions of it, 
was to the following effect : He had thought a great deal 
about the scarcity of water, and it had troubled him so 
that he could not sleep. What a dreadful thing it would 
be for those poor ladies and the Captain and the boy, to 
die because they had no water. His recollections of his 
experiences in his native land made him well understand 
that streams of water are to be looked for between high 
ridges, and the idea forced itself upon him very strongly 
that on the other side of the ridge to the south there 
might be a stream. He knew the Captain would not 
allow him to leave the camp if he asked permission, and 
so he rose very early, even before it was light, and going 
down to the shore made his way along the beach, on the 
same route, in fact, that the Englishman, Davis, had 
taken. He was a good deal frightened sometimes, he 
said, by the waves, which dashed up as if they would 


THE RACKBIRDS 


29 


pull liim into the water. When he reached the point of 
the rocky ridge he had no difficulty whatever in getting 
round it, as he could easily keep away from the water by 
climbing over the rocks. 

He found that the land on the other side began to 
recede from the ocean, and that there was a small sandy 
beach below him. This widened until it reached another 
and smaller point of rock, and beyond this Maka believed 
he would find the stream for which he was searching; 
and while he was considering whether he should climb 
over it or wade around it, suddenly a man jumped down 
from the rock almost on top of him. This man fell 
down on his back, and was at first so frightened that he 
did not try to move. Maka’s wits entirely deserted him, 
he said, and he did not know anything except that most 
likely he was going to die. 

But on looking at the man on the ground he saw that 
he was an African like himself, and in a moment he 
recognized him as one of his fellow-slaves with whom 
he had worked in Guiana, and also for a short time on 
the Panama Canal. This made him think that perhaps 
he was not going to die, and he went up to the other man 
and spoke to him. Then the other man thought perhaps 
he was not going to die, and he sat up and spoke. 

When the other man told his tale, Maka agreed with 
him that it would be far better to die of thirst than to 
go on any further to look for water, and, turning, he 
ran back, followed by the other, and they never stopped 
to speak to each other until they had rounded the great 
bluff and were making their way along the beach toward 
the camp. Then his fellow-African told Maka a great 
deal more, and Maka told everything to the Captain. 

The substance of the tale was this; A mile fur- 


30 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


ther up the bay than Maka had gone there was a little 
stream that ran down the ravine. About a quarter of 
a mile up this stream there was a spot where, it appeared 
from the account, there must be a little level ground 
suitable for habitations. Here were five or six huts 
almost entirely surrounded by rocks, and in these lived 
a dozen of the most dreadful men in the whole world. 
This Maka assured the Captain, his eyes wet with tears 
as he spoke. It must truly be so, because the other 
African had told him things which proved it. 

A little further up the stream, on the other side of the 
ravine, there was a cave, a very small one, and so high 
up in the face of the rock that it could only be reached 
by a ladder. In this lived five black men, members of 
the company of slaves who had gone from Guiana to the 
Isthmus, and who had been brought down there about a 
year before by two wicked men, who had promised them 
well-paid work in a lovely country. They had, however, 
been made actual slaves in this barren and doleful place, 
and had since worked for the cruel men who had be- 
guiled them into a captivity worse than the slavery to 
which they had been originally destined. 

Eight of them had come down from the Isthmus, but 
at various times since three of them had been killed by 
accident, or shot while trying to run away. The hard- 
ships of these poor fellows was very great, and Maka’s 
voice shook as he spoke of them. They were kept in 
the cave all the time except when they were wanted for 
some sort of work, when a ladder was put up by the side 
of the rock and such as were required were called to come 
down. Without a ladder no one could get in or out of 
the cave. One man, who had tried to slip down at night, 
fell and broke his neck. 


THE RACKBIRDS 


31 


The Africans were employed in cooking and other 
rough domestic or menial services, and sometimes all of 
them were taken down to the shore of the bay, where 
they saw small vessels, and they were employed in 
carrying goods from one of these to another, and were 
also obliged to carry provisions and heavy kegs up the 
ravine to the houses of the wicked men. The one whom 
he had brought with him, Maka said, had that day 
escaped from his captors. One of the Rackbirds, whom 
in some way the negro had offended, had sworn to kill 
him before night, and feeling sure that this threat would 
be carried out, the poor fellow had determined to run 
away, no matter what the consequences. He had chosen 
the way by the ocean in order that he might jump in and 
drown himself if he found himself likely to be overtaken, 
but apparently his escape had not yet been discovered. 

Maka was going on to tell something more about the 
wicked men, when the Captain interrupted him. “ Can 
this friend of yours speak English? ” he asked. 

Only one, two words, replied Maka. 

‘‘Ask him if he knows the name of that band of men.” 

“Yes,” said Maka, presently, “he know, but he no can 
speak it.” 

“Are they called the Rackbirds?” asked Captain 
Horn. 

The shivering negro had been listening attentively, 
and now half rose and nodded his head violently, and 
then began to speak rapidly in African. 

“Yes,” said Maka, “he says that is name they are 
called.” 

At this moment Ralph appeared upon the scene, and 
the second African, whose name was something like 
Mok, sprang to his feet as if he were about to fly for his 


32 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


life ; but as there was no place to fly to except into the 
water or the arms of Ealph, he stood still, trembling. 
A few feet to the left the shelf ended in a precipitous 
rock, and on the right, as has been said, it gradually 
descended into the water, the space on which the party 
stood not being more than twenty feet long and five or 
six feet wide. When he saw Kalph, the Captain sud- 
denly stopped the question he was about to ask, and said 
in an undertone to Maka : — 

“Not a word to the boy; I will tell.” 

“Oh,” cried Ealph, “you do not know what a lively 
couple there is out there. I found that my sister and 
Mrs. Cliff had made up their minds that they would 
perish in about two days, and Mrs. Cliff had been mak- 
ing her will with a lead-pencil, and now they are just as 
high up as they were low down before. They would 
not let me come to get them some water, though I kept 
telling them they never tasted anything like it in their 
whole lives, because they wanted to hear everything 
about everything. My sister will be wild to come to 
this lake before long, even if Mrs. Cliff does not care to 
try it. And when you are ready to come to them and 
bring Maka, they want to know who that other colored 
man is, and how Maka happened to find him. I truly 
believe their curiosity goes ahead of their thirst.” And 
so saying he went down to the lake to fill a pail he had 
brought with him. 

The Captain told Ealph to hurry back to the ladies, 
and that he would be there in a few minutes. Captain 
Horn knew a great deal about the Eackbirds. They 
were a band of desperadoes, many of them outlaws and 
criminals. They had all come down from the Isthmus, 
to which they had been attracted by the great canal 


THE RACKBIRDS 


33 


works, and after committing various outrages and crimes 
they had managed to get away without being shot or 
hung. Captain Horn had frequently heard of them in 
the past year or two, and it was generally supposed that 
they had some sort of rendezvous or refuge on this coast, 
but there had been no effort made to seek them out. He 
had frequently heard of crimes committed by them at 
points along the coast, which showed that they had in 
their possession some sort of vessel. At one time, when 
he had stopped at Lima, he had heard that there was 
talk of the Government's sending out a police or mili- 
tary expedition against these outlaws, but he had never 
known of anything of the sort being done. 

Everything that from time to time had been told Cap- 
tain Horn about the Rackbirds showed that they sur- 
passed in cruelty and utter vileness any other bandits, or 
even savages, of whom he had ever heard. Among other 
news, he had been told that the former leader of the 
band, which was supposed to be composed of men of 
many nationalities, was a French Canadian, who had 
been murdered by his companions, because while rob- 
bing a plantation in the interior — they had frequently 
been known to cross the desert and the mountains — he 
had forborne to kill an old man, because as the trem- 
bling graybeard looked up at him he had reminded him 
of his father. Some of the leading demons of the band 
determined that they could not have such a fool as this 
for their leader, and he was killed while asleep. 

Now the band was headed by a Spaniard, whose fiend- 
ishness was of a sufficiently high order to satisfy the 
most exacting of his fellows. These and other bits of 
news about the Rackbirds had been told by one of the 
band who had escaped to Panama after the murder of 

D 


34 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the Captain, fearing that his own talents for baseness 
did not reach the average necessary for a Kackbird. 

When he had made his landing from the wreck, Cap- 
tain Horn never gave a thought to the existence of this 
band of scoundrels. In fact, he had supposed, when he 
had thought of the matter, that their rendezvous must 
be far south of this point. 

But now, standing on that shelf of rock, with his eyes 
fixed on the water without seeing it, he knew that the 
abode of this gang of wretches was within a compara- 
tively short distance of this spot in which he ahd his 
companions had taken refuge j and he knew, too, that 
there was every reason to suppose that some of them 
would soon be in pursuit of the negro who had run away. 

Suddenly another dreadful thought struck him. Wild 
beasts, indeed! 

He turned quickly to Maka. “ Does that man know 
anything about Davis and the two sailors? Were they 
killed ? ” he asked. 

Maka shook his head and said that he had already 
asked his companion that question, but Mok had said 
that he did not know ; all he knew was that those wicked 
men killed everybody they could kill. 

The Captain shut his teeth tightly together. “ That 
was it,” he said; “ I could not see how it could be jaguars, 
although I could think of nothing else. But these blood- 
thirsty human beasts ! I see it now.” He moved toward 
the passage. “If that dirty wretch had not run away,” 
he thought, “we might have stayed undiscovered here 
until a vessel came; but they will track his footsteps 
upon the sand, — they are bound to do that.” 


THREE WILD BEASTS 


35 


CHAPTER VI 

THREE WILD BEASTS 

When the Captain joined the two ladies and the boy, 
who were impatiently waiting for him on the plateau, 
he had made up his mind to tell them the bad news. 
Terrible as was the necessity, it could not be helped. It 
was very hard for him to meet those three radiant faces, 
and to hear them talk about the water that had been 
discovered. 

“Now,’’ said Mrs. Cliff, “I see no reason why we 
should not live here 'in^ peace and comfort until Mr. 
Rynders chooses to come back for us. And I have been 
thinking. Captain, that if somebody — and I am sure 
Ralph would be very good at it — could catch some fish, 
it would help out very much. We are getting a little 
short of meat, but as for the other things we have enough 
to last for days and days. But we woii’t talk of that 
now; we want to hear where that other colored man came 
from. Just look at him as he sits there with Maka by 
those embers. One might think he would shiver himself 
to pieces. Was he cast ashore from a wreck ?” 

The Captain stood silent for a moment, and then, 
briefly but plainly, and glossing over the horrors of the 
situation as much as he could, he told them about the 
Rackbirds. Not one of the little party interrupted the 
Captain’s story, but their faces grew paler and paler as 
he proceeded. 

When he had finished, Mrs. Cliff burst into tears. 
“ Captain, ” she cried, “ let us take the boat and row away 
from this dreadful place. We should not lose a minute; 
let us go now ! ” 


36 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

But the Captain shook his head. ^‘That would not 
do,” he said; “on this open sea they could easily see us. 
They have boats, and could row much faster than we 
could.” 

“Then,” exclaimed the excited woman, “we could 
turn over the boat, and all sink to the bottom together.” 

To this the Captain made no answer. “ You must all 
get inside as quickly as you can,” he said. “Maka, you 
and that other fellow carry in everything that has been 
left out here. Be quick. Go up, Ealph, and take the 
flag down, and then run in.” 

When the others had entered the narrow passage, the 
Captain followed. Fortunately he had two guns, each 
double-barrelled, and if but a few of the Eackbirds came 
in pursuit of the escaped negro, he might be a match for 
them in that narrow passage. 

Shortly after the party had retired within the rocks. 
Miss Markham came to the Captain, who was standing 
at the door of the first apartment. “Captain Horn,” 
said she, “ Mrs. Cliff is in a state of nervous fear, and 
I have been trying to quiet her. Can you say anything 
that might give her a little courage? Do you really 
think there is any chance of our escape from this new 
danger ? ” 

“Yes,” said the Captain, “there is a chance. Eyn- 
ders may come back before the Eackbirds discover us, 
and even if two or three of them find out our retreat, I 
may be able to dispose of them and thus give us a little 
more time. That is our only ground of hope. Those 
men are bound to come here sooner or later, and every- 
thing depends upon the return of Eynders.” 

“But,” urged Miss Markham, “perhaps they may not 
come so far as this to look for the runaway; the waves 


THREE WILD BEASTS 


87 


may have washed out his footsteps upon the sand. 
There may be no reason why they should come up to this 
plateau.’’ 

The Captain smiled a very sombre smile. If any of 
them should come this way,” he said, “it is possible 
that they might not think it worth while to cease their 
search along the beach and come up to this particular 
spot, were it not that our boat is down there. That is 
the same thing as if we had put out a sign to tell them 
where we are. The boat is hauled up on shore, but they 
could not fail to see it.” 

“Captain,” said Miss Markham, “do you think those 
Eackbirds killed the three sailors?” 

“I am very much afraid of it,” he answered; “if they 
did, they must have known that these poor fellows were 
survivors of a shipwreck, and I suppose they stole up 
behind them and shot them down or stabbed them. If 
that were so, I wonder why they have not sooner been 
this way looking for the wreck, or at least for other 
unfortunates who may have reached shore. I suppose 
if they are making this sort of a search they went south- 
ward. But all that, of course, depends upon whether 
they really saw Davis and the two other men. If they 
did not, they could have no reason for supposing there 
were any shipwrecked people on the coast.” 

“But that thought is of no use to us,” said Miss Mark- 
ham, her eyes upon the ground, “ for of course they will 
be coming after the black man. Captain,” she con- 
tinued quickly, “ is there anything I can do ? I can fire 
a gun.” 

He looked at her for a moment. “ That will not be 
necessary,” he said, “but there is something you can do. 
Have you a pistol ?” 


38 THE ADVENT0RES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“Yes,” said she, have. I put it in my pocket as 
soon as I came into the cave. Here it is.” 

The Captain took the pistol from her hands and ex- 
amined it. “Five barrels,” he said, “all charged. Be 
very careful of it,’’ handing it back to her ; “I will put 
your brother and Mrs. Cliff in your charge. At the 
slightest hint of danger you must keep together in the 
middle room. I will stand between you and the rascals 
as long as I can, but if I am killed, you must do what 
you think best.” 

“I will,” said she, and she put the pistol back in her 
pocket. 

The Captain was very much encouraged by the brave 
talk of this young woman, and it really seemed as if he 
now had some one to stand by him, some one with whom 
he could even consult. 

“ I have carefully examined this cavern, ” said the Cap- 
tain, after a moment’s pause, “ and there are only two 
ways by which those men could possibly get in. You 
need not be afraid that any one can scramble down the 
walls of that furthest apartment ; that could not be done, 
though they might be able to lire upon any one in it ; 
but in the middle room you will be perfectly secure from 
gunshots. I shall keep Maka on guard a little back 
from the entrance to the passage. He will lie on the 
ground, and can hear footsteps long before they reach 
us. It is barely possible that some of them might enter 
by the great cleft in the cave on the other side of the 
lake, but in that case they would have to swim across ; 
and I shall station that new African on the ledge of 
which you have heard, and if he sees any of them com- 
ing in that direction, I know he will give very quick 
warning. I hardly think, though, that they would trust 
themselves to be picked off while swimming.” 


THREE WILD BEASTS 


39 


And you ? ” said she. 

‘^Oh, I shall keep my eyes on all points/’ said he, 
“ as far as I can. I begin to feel a spirit of fight rising 
up within me. If I thought I could keep them off until 
E-ynders gets here, I almost wish they would then come. 
I would like to kill a lot of them.” 

“Suppose,” said Edna Markham, after a moment’s 
reflection, “that they should see Mr. Eynders coming 
back and should attack him.” 

“I hardly think they w^ould do that,” replied the Cap- 
tain j “he will probably come in a good-sized vessel, and 
I don’t think they are the kind of men for open battle. 
They are midnight sneaks and assassins. Now, I advise 
all of you to go and get something to eat. It would be 
better for us not to try to do any cooking, and so make 
a smoke.” 

The Captain did not wish to talk any more. Miss 
Markham’s last remark had put a new fear into his 
mind. Suppose the Eackbirds had lured Eynders and 
his men on shore? Those sailors had but few arms 
among them. They had not thought, when they left, 
that there would be any necessity for defence against 
their fellow-beings. 

When Edna Markham had told Mrs. Cliff what the 
Captain had said about their chances, and what he in- 
tended to do for their protection, the older woman 
brightened up a good deal. 

“I have great faith in the Captain,” she declared, 
“ and if he thinks it is worth while to make a fight, I 
believe he will make a good one. If they should be 
firing, and Mr. Eynders is approaching the coast, even if 
it should be night, he would lose no time in getting 
to us.” 


40 THE AHVEKTHRES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


Toward the close of that afternoon three wild beasts 
came around the point of the bluff and made their way 
northward along the beach. They were f erociout; creat- 
ures with shaggy hair and beards : two of them carried 
guns, and each of them had a knife in his belt. When 
they came to a broad bit of beach above the reach of the 
waves they were very much surprised at some footsteps 
they saw. They were the tracks of two men instead of 
those of the one they were looking for. This discovery 
made them very cautious. They were eager to kill the 
escaped African before he got far enough away to give 
information of their retreat, for they knew not at what 
time an armed force in search of them might approach 
the coast. But they were very wary about running into 
danger. There was somebody with that black fellow, — 
somebody who wore boots. 

After a time they came to the boat. The minute they 
saw this each miscreant crouched suddenly upon the 
sand, and with cocked guns they listened. Then, hear- 
ing nothing, they carefully examined the boat. It was 
empty ; there were not even oars in it. 

Looking about them, they saw a hollow behind some 
rocks. To this they ran, crouching close to the ground, 
and there they sat and consulted. 

It was between two and three o’clock the next morn- 
ing that Maka’s eyes, which had not closed for more 
than twenty hours, refused to keep open any longer, and 
with his head on the hard, rocky ground of the passage 
in which he lay, the poor African slept soundly. On 
the shelf at the edge of the lake, the other African, 
Mok, sat crouched on his heels, his eyes wide open. 
Whether he was asleep or not it would have been diffi- 
cult to determine, but if any one had appeared in the 


THREE WILD BEASTS 


41 


great cleft on the other side of the lake, he would have 
sprung to his feet with a yell, — his fear of the Eack- 
birds was always awake. 

Inside the first apartment was Captain Horn, fast 
asleep, his two guns by his side. He had kept watch 
until an hour before, but Ealph had insisted upon taking 
his turn, and, as the Captain knew he could not keep 
awake always, he allowed the boy to take a short 
watch. But now Ealph was leaning back against one 
of the walls, snoring evenly and steadily. In the next 
room sat Edna Markham, wide awake. She knew of 
the arrangement made with Ealph, and she knew the 
boy’s healthy, sleepy nature, so that when he went on 
watch she went on watch. 

Outside of the cave were three wild beasts. One of 
them was crouching on the farther end of the plateau ; 
another, on the lower ground a little below, stood gun 
in hand, and barely visible in the starlight. A third, 
barefooted and in garments dingy as the night, and 
armed only with a knife, crept softly toward the en- 
trance of the cave. There he stopped and listened; he 
could plainly hear the breathing of the sleepers. He 
tried to separate these sounds one from another, so that 
he should be able to determine how many persons were 
sleeping inside, but this he could not do. Then his cat- 
like eyes, becoming more and more accustomed to the 
darkness within the entrance, saw the round head of 
Maka close upon the ground. 

The soul of the listening fiend laughed within him. 
“Pretty watchers they are,” he said to himself; “not 
three hours after midnight, and they are all snoring ! ” 
Then, as stealthily and as slowly as he had come, he 
slipped away, and joining the others, they all glided 


42 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


through the darkness down to the beach and then set off 
at their best speed back to their rendezvous. 

After they had discovered that there were people in 
the cave they had not thought of entering. They were 
not fully armed, and they did not know how many per- 
sons were inside ; but they knew one thing, and that was 
that these shipwrecked people — for that was what they 
must be — kept a very poor watch, and if the whole band 
came on the following night, the affair would probably 
be settled with but very little trouble, no matter how 
large the party in the cave might be. It was not neces- 
sary to look any further for the escaped negro. Of 
course he had been picked up by these people. 

The three beasts reached their camp about daybreak, 
and everybody was soon awakened and the tale was told. 

“It is a comfort,” said the leader, lighting the stump 
of a black pipe which he thrust under his great mustache, 
and speaking in his native tongue, which some of them 
understood and others did not, “to know that to-night’s 
work is all cut out for us. Now we can take it easy 
to-day, and rest our bones. The order of the day is to 
keep close ; no straggling, nor wandering. Keep those 
four niggers up in the pigeon hole. We will do our own 
cooking to-day, for we can’t afford to run after any 
more of them. Lucky the fellow who got away can’t 
speak English, for he can’t tell anything about us, any 
more than if he was an ape. So snooze to-day if you 
want to. I will give you work to do for to-night.” 


GONE ! 


43 


CHAPTER VII 
gone! 

That morning when the party in the cavern had had 
their breakfast, with some hot tea made on a spirit lamp 
which Mrs. Cliff had brought, and had looked cautiously 
out at the sunlit landscape, and the sea beyond, without 
seeing any signs, or hearing any sound of wicked men, 
there came a feeling of relief. There was, indeed, no 
great ground for such a feeling ; but as the Eackbirds had 
not come the day before nor during the night, perhaps 
they would not come at all. It might be they did not 
care whether the black man ran away or not. But 
Captain Horn did not relax his precautions ; he would 
take no chances, and would keep up a watch day and 
night. 

When, on the night before, the time had come for 
Ralph’s watch to end, his sister had awakened him, and 
when the Captain in his turn was aroused, he had not 
known that it was not the boy who had kept watch 
during his sleep. 

In the course of the morning Mrs. Cliff and Edna, 
having been filled with an intense desire to see the won- 
derful subterranean lake, had been helped over the rocky 
barrier and had stood at the edge of the water, looking 
over to where it^was lighted by the great chasm in the 
side of the rocks, and endeavoring to peer into the solemn 
cavernous distance into which it extended on the right. 
Edna said nothing, but stood gazing at the wonderful 
scene, the dark mysterious waters before her, arched 
cavern above her, and the picture of the bright sky and 
the tops of the distant mountains, framed by the sides of 


44 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the great opening which stretched itself upward like a 
cathedral window on the other side of the lake. 

“ It frightens nie/^ said Mrs Cliff ; to be sure this 
water was our salvation, for we should have been dead by 
this time, pirates or no pirates, if we had not found it, 
but it is terrifying for all that. We do not know how far 
it stretches out into the blackness and we do not know 
how far down it goes. It may be thousands of feet deep 
for all we know. Don’t go so near the edge, Kalph ; it 
makes me shudder.” 

When the little party had returned to the cavern, the 
Captain and the two ladies had a long talk about the lake. 
They all agreed that the existence of this great reservoir 
of water was sufficient to account for the greenness and 
fertility of the little plateau outside. Even if no con- 
siderable amount of water trickled through the cracks in 
the rocks, the moisture which arose from the surface of 
the water found its way out into the surrounding atmos- 
phere, and had nourished the bushes and vines. 

For some time they discussed their new-found water 
supply, and they were all glad to have something to think 
about and talk about besides the great danger which over- 
hung them. 

‘^If it could only have been the lake without the Eack- 
birds,” said Mrs. Cliff. 

^^Let us consider that that is the state of the case,” 
remarked Edna ; “ we have the lake, and so far we have 
not had any Eackbirds.” 

It was now nearly noon, and the Captain looked around 
for Ealph, but did not see him. He went to search for 
him, and finding that the boy had not passed Maka, who 
was on watch, he concluded he must have gone to the 
lake. There was no reason why the restless youth should 


gone! 


45 


not seek to enliven his captivity by change of scene, but 
Captain Horn felt unwilling to have any one in his charge 
out of sight for any length of time, so he went to look for 
Balph. 

He found no one on the rocky shelf. As there had 
been little reason to expect a water attack at this hour, 
Mok had been relieved from guard for a meal and a nap. 
But as Balph was not here, where could he be ? A sec- 
ond glance, however, showed the Captain the boy’s clothes 
lying close by, against the upright side of the rock, and 
at that moment he heard a cry. His eyes flashed out 
toward the soimd. There on the other side of the water, 
sitting on a bit of projecting rock, not far from the great 
opening in the cave, he saw Balph. At first the Captain 
stood dumb with amazement, and he was just about to 
call out, when Balph shouted again. 

I swam over,” he said, but I can’t get back. I’ve 
got the cramps. Can’t you make some sort of a raft, and 
come over to me? The water’s awfully cold.” 

Baft indeed ! There was no material or time for any- 
thing of the kind. If the boy dropped off that bit of rock, 
he would be drowned, and the Captain did not hesitate a 
moment. Throwing aside his jacket and slipping off his 
shoes, he let himself down into the water and struck out 
in Balph’s direction. The water was indeed very cold, 
but the Captain was a strong swimmer, and it would not 
take him very long to cross the lake at this point, where 
its width was not much more than a hundred feet. As 
he neared the other side he did not make immediately for 
Balph. He thought it would be wise to rest a little before 
attempting to take the boy back, and so he made for another 
point of rock a little nearer the opening, urging the boy, 
as he neared him, to sit firmly and keep up a good heart. 


46 


THE ADVENT CTRES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


All right,” said Ealph ; I see what you are after. 
That is a better place than this, and if you land there, I 
think I can scramble over to you.” 

Don’t move,” said the Captain ; sit where you are 
until I tell you what to do.” 

The Captain had not made more than two or three 
strokes after speaking when his right hand struck against 
something hard, just below the surface of the water. He 
involuntarily grasped it; it was immovable, and it felt 
like a tree a few inches in diameter, standing perpendic- 
ularly in the lake. Wondering what this could be, he 
took hold of it with his other hand, and finding that it 
supported him, he let his feet drop, when, to his surprise, 
he found that they rested on something with a rounded 
surface, and the idea instantly came into his mind that it 
was a submerged tree, the trunk lying horizontally from 
which this upright branch projected. This might be as 
good a resting-place as the rock to which he had been 
going, and standing on it with his head well out of the 
water, he turned to speak to Ealph. At that moment 
his feet slipped from the slimy object on which he stood, 
and he fell backward into the water, still grasping, how- 
ever, his upright support. But this did not remain up- 
right more than an instant, but yielded to his weight, and 
the end of it which he held went down ivith him. As he 
sank, the Captain, in his first bewilderment, did not loosen 
his grasp upon what had been his support, and which 
still prevented him from sinking rapidly. But in a 
moment his senses came to him, he let go, and a few down- 
ward strokes brought him to the surface of the water. 
Then he struck out for the point of rock for which he 
had been aiming, and he was soon mounted upon it. 

“ Hi ! ” shouted Ealph, who had been so frightened by 


GONE ! 


4T 


the Captain’s sudden sinking that he nearly fell off his 
narrow seat, “ I thought something had pulled you 
down.” 

The Captain did not explain. He was spluttering a 
little after his involuntary dive, and he wanted to get 
back as soon as possible, and so wasted no breath in 
words. In a few minutes he felt himself ready for the 
return trip, and getting into the water he swam to Kalph. 
Following the directions given him, the boy let himself 
down into the water behind the Captain and placed his 
hands upon the latter’s hips, firmly grasping the waist- 
band of his trousers. Then urging the boy not to change 
his position nor attempt to take hold of him in any other 
way, the Captain struck out across the lake, Ralph easily 
floating behind him. 

When they stood upon the shelf on the other side, and 
Ralph, having rubbed himself down with the Captain’s 
jacket, put on his clothes. Captain Horn rather sternly 
inquired of him how he came to do such a foolish and 
wicked thing as to run the risk of drowning himself in 
the lake at a time when his sister and his friends had 
already trouble enough on their minds. 

Ralph was sorry of course that the Captain had to 
come after him, and get himself wet, but he explained 
that he wanted to do something for the good of the party, 
and it had struck him that it would be a very sensible 
thing to investigate the opening on the other side of the 
lake. If he could get out of that great gap, he might find 
some way of climbing out over the top of the rocks and 
get to the place where his flag was, and then, if he saw 
Mr. Rynders coming, he could wave it. It would be a 
great thing if the people in the vessel which they all 
expected should see that flag the moment they came in 


48 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


sight of the coast. They might get to shore an hour or 
two sooner than if they had not seen it. 

^‘If the cramp in this leg had kept off five minutes 
longer/^ he said, ‘‘ I would have reached that big hole, and 
then if I could have climbed over the top of the rocks, I 
could have come down on the other side to the front door, 
and asked Maka to get me my clothes, so I would not 
have had to swim back at all.’’ 

“ That will do,” said the Captain, and now that you 
are dressed you can go inside and get me that woollen 
shirt and trousers that I use for a pillow, for I must take 
off these wet things.” 

When the boy came back with the clothes, the Captain 
told him that he need not say anything to his sister or 
Mrs. Cliff about the great danger he had been in, but 
before he had finished his injunction Kalph interrupted 
him. 

Oh, I have told them that already,” said he ; they 
wanted to know where I had been, and it did not take a 
minute to tell them what a splendid swimmer you are, 
and how you came over after me without taking as much 
as two seconds to think about it ; and I let them know, 
too, that it was a mighty dangerous thing for you to do. 
If I had been one of those fellows who were not used to 
the water, and who would grab hold of any one who came 
to save them, we might both have gone to the bottom 
together.” 

The Captain smiled grimly. It is hard to get ahead 
of a boy,” he said to himself. 

It was late that afternoon when Captain Horn with 
Ealph and the two ladies were standing on the rocks in 
the inner apartment, trying to persuade themselves that 
they were having a cosy cup of tea together, when 


GONE ! 


49 


suddenly a scrambling sound of footsteps was beard, and 
Maka dasbed tbrougb tbe two adjoining apartments and 
appeared before tbem. Instantly tbe Captain was on bis 
feet, bis gun, wbicb bad been lying beside bim, in bis 
band. Up sprang tbe others, mute, witb surprise and 
fear on tbeir faces. Maka, wbo was in a state of great 
excitement, and seemed unable to speak, gasped out tbe 
one word Gone.’^ 

Wbat do you mean ? cried tbe Captain. 

Maka ran back toward tbe passage, and pointed in- 
ward. Instantly tbe Captain conjectured wbat be meant. 
Mok, the second African, had been stationed to watch the 
lake approach, and be bad deserted! blow tbe hot 
thought flashed upon the Captain that the rascal bad 
been a spy. Tbe E-ackbirds had known that there were 
shipwrecked people in these caves. How could they 
help knowing it if they had killed Davis and tbe others ? 
But, cowardly hounds as they were, they had been afraid 
to attack tbe place until they knew how many people 
were in it, what arms they had, and in what way the 
place could best be assailed. This Mok had found out 
everything ; if the boy could swim across the lake, that 
black man could do it, and he had gone out through the 
cleft and was probably now making his report to the 
gang. 

All this flashed through the Captain’s brain in a few 
seconds. He set his teeth together; he was ashamed 
that he had allowed himself to be so tricked. That Afri- 
can, probably one of the gang and able to speak English, 
should have been kept a prisoner. What a fool he had 
been to treat the black-hearted and black-bodied wretch 
as one of themselves, and actually tQ put him on guard I 

Of course it was of no use to ^ to look for him, and 


50 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the Captain had put down his gun and was just about to 
turn to speak to the others, when Maka seized him by the 
coat. The negro seemed wildly excited, and still unable 
to speak. But it was plain that he wanted the Captain 
to follow him along the passage. There was no use in 
asking questions, and the Captain followed, and behind 
him came Ealph, Edna, and Mrs. Cliff. 

Maka was about to climb over the rocky partition 
which divided the passage, but the Captain stopped him. 
‘‘Stay here,’’ said he, “and watch the passage. I will 
see what is the matter over there.” And then he and 
Ealph jumped over and hurried to the lake. As they 
came out on the little platform of rock, on which the 
evening light, coming through the great cleft, still ren- 
dered objects visible, they saw Mok crouching on his 
heels, his eyes wide open as usual. 

The Captain was stupefied. That African not gone! 
If it were not he, who had gone ? 

Then the Captain felt a tight clutch upon his arm, and 
Ealph pulled him around. Casting eyes outward, the 
Captain saw that it was the lake that had gone. 

As he and Ealph stood there stupefied and staring, they 
saw by the dim light which came through the opening on 
the other side of the cavern a great empty rocky basin. 
The bottom of this, some fifteen or twenty feet below 
them, wet and shining, with pools of water here and 
there, was plainly visible in the space between them and 
the open cleft, but further on all was dark. There was 
every reason to suppose, however, that all the water had 
gone from the lake. Why or how this had happened 
they did not even ask themselves. They simply stood 
and stared. 

In a few minutes they were joined by Edna, who had 


GONE ! 


51 


become so anxious at their absence and silence that she 
had clambered over the wall and came running to them. 
By the time she reached them it was much darker than 
when they had arrived, but she could see that the lake 
had gone j that was enough. 

What do you suppose it means ? she said presently. 

Are we over some awful subterranean cavern in which 
things sink out of sight in an instant ? 

‘‘It is absolutely unaccountable,” said the Captain; 
“ but we must go back to Mrs. Cliff. I hear her calling ; 
and if Maka has come to his senses, perhaps he can tell 
us something.” 

But Maka had very little to tell. To the Captain^s 
questions he could only say that a little while before, 
Mok had come running to him and told him that being 
thirsty he had gone down to the edge of the lake to get 
a drink and found that there was no water, only a great 
hole, and then he had run to tell Maka, and when Maka 
had gone back with him, so greatly surprised that he had 
deserted his post without thinking about it, he found 
that what Mok had said was true, and that there was 
nothing there but a great black hole. Mok must have 
been asleep when the water went away, but it was gone, 
and that was all he knew about it. 

There was something so weird and mysterious about 
this absolute and sudden disappearance of this great 
body of water that Mrs. Cliff became very nervous and 
frightened. 

“ This is a temple of the Devil,” she said, “ and that is 
his face outside. You do not know what may happen 
next. This rocky floor on which we stand may give way, 
and we may all go down into unknown depths. I can’t 
think of staying here another minute. It is dark now; 


52 THbi .^OVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


let us slip away down to the beach, and take a boat and 
row away from this horrible region where human devils 
and every other kind seem to own the coimtry.’’ 

^^Oh no,” said the Captain, ^^we can’t consider such 
wild schemes as that. I have been thinking that per- 
haps there may be some sort of a tide in this lake, and 
in the morning we may find the water just as it was; and 
at any rate it has not entirely deserted us, for in these 
pools at the bottom we can find water enough for us to 
drink.” 

“ I suppose I would not mind such things so much,” 
said Mrs. Cliff, if they happened out of doors ; but being 
shut up in this cave with magical lakes, and expecting 
every minute to see a lot of blood-thirsty pirates bursting 
in upon us, is enough to shake the nerves of anybody.” 

Captain,” said Kalph, I suppose you will not now 
object to letting me go in the morning and explore that 
opening. I can walk across the bottom of the lake with- 
out any danger, you know.” 

Don’t you try to do anything of the kind,” said the 
Captain, without my permission.” 

‘^No indeed!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff; supposing the 
water were to suddenly rise just as you were half-way 
across. Now, that I think of it, there are springs and 
bodies of water which rise and fall this way, some of 
them in our own western country, but none of them are 
as large as this. What if it should rise in the night and 
flood the cave while we are asleep ? ” 

Why, dear Mrs. Cliff,” said Edna, I am not afraid of 
the water’s rising or of the earth’s sinking. Don’t let us 
frighten ourselves with imaginations like that. Perhaps 
there may not even be any real thing to be afraid of, but 
if there should be, let us keep courage for that,” 


THE ALARM 


53 


The disappearance of the lake gave the Captain an 
uneasiness of which the others had not thought. He 
saw it would be comparatively easy for the Rackbirds to 
gain access to the place through the cleft in the eastern 
wall of the lake cavern. If they should discover that 
aperture, the cavern might be attacked from the rear and 
the front at the same time, and then the Captain feared 
his guns would not much avail. 

Of course, during the darkness which would soon pre- 
vail, there was no reason to expect a rear attack, and 
the Captain satisfied himself with leaving Mok at his 
former post, with instructions to give the alarm if he 
heard the slightest sound, and put Maka, as before, in the 
outer passage. As for himself, he took an early nap in 
the evening because at the very first break of dawn it 
would be necessary for him to be on the alert. 

He did not know how much he had depended upon 
the lake as a barrier of defence, but now that it had gone, 
he felt that the dangers which threatened them from the 
Rackbirds were doubled. 


CHAPTER VIII 

THE ALARM 

It was still dark when the Captain woke, and he struck 
a match to look at his watch. It was three o’clock. 

^^Is that you. Captain?” said a voice from the next 
room. “ Is it time for you to begin watch again ? ” 

Yes,” said the Captain. “ It is about time. How do 
you happen to be awake. Miss Markham? Ralph! I 
believe the boy is snoring.” 


64 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“ Of course he is/’ said Edna, speaking in a low voice. 

We cannot expect such a boy to keep awake, and so I 
have been on watch. It was easy enough for me to keep 
my eyes open.” 

“It is too bad,” said the Captain, and then listening 
for a moment, he said, “ I truly believe that Maka is snor- 
ing too, and as for that black fellow over there, I suspect 
that he sleeps all the time. Miss Markham, you have 
been the only person awake.” 

“ Why shouldn’t I be ? ” said she. “ I am sure that a 
woman is just as good as a man for keeping watch.” 

“ If they should come,” thought the Captain, as he 
again sat in the dark, “ I must not try to fight them in 
the passage. That would have been my best chance, but 
now some of them might pick me off from behind. No, 
I must fight them in this chamber. I can put everybody 
else in the middle apartment. Perhaps before to-morrow 
night it might be well to bring some of those loose rocks 
here and build a barricade. I wish I had thought of that 
before.” 

The Captain sat and listened and thought. His listen- 
ing brought him no return, and his thinking brought him 
too much. The most mournful ideas of what might hap- 
pen if more than two or three of the desperadoes attacked 
the place, crowded into his mind. If they came, they 
came to rob, and they were men who left behind them no 
living witnesses of their whereabouts or their crimes. 
And if two or three should come and be repulsed, it 
would not be long before the rest would arrive. In fact, 
the only real hope they had was founded on the early 
return of Rynders ; that is, if E-ynders and his men were 
living. 

The Captain waited and listened, but nothing came but 


THE ALARM 


55 


daylight. As soon as he was able to discern objects out- 
side the opening on the plateau, he awoke Maka, and, 
leaving him on guard, he made his way to the lake 
cavern. 

Here the light was beginning to come freely through 
the chasm which faced nearly east. Mok was sitting 
with his eyes open and showed that he was alive by a 
little grunt, when the Captain approached. If there were 
such a thing here as a subterranean tide, it had not risen. 
There was no water in the lake. 

Gazing across the empty basin, the Captain felt a strong 
desire to go over, climb up to the opening, and discover 
whether or not the cavern was accessible on that side. 
It would be very important for him to know this, and it 
would not take long for him to make an investigation. 
One side of the. rocky shelf, which has been before men- 
tioned, sloped down to the lake, and the Captain was just 
about to descend this when he heard a cry from the pas- 
sage, and at the same moment a shout from Mok, which 
seemed to be in answer to it. Instantly the Captain 
turned and dashed into the passage, and leaping over 
the barrier, found Maka standing near the entrance. 

As soon as the negro saw him, he began to beckon 
wildly for him to come on, but there was no need now 
of keeping quiet and beckoning. The first shout had 
aroused everybody inside, and the two ladies and Ralph 
were already in the passage. The Captain, however, made 
them keep back, while he and Maka, on their hands and 
knees, crawled toward the outer opening. From this 
point, one could see over the plateau and the uneven 
ground beyond, down to the beach and the sea, but there 
was still so little light upon this western slope that at 
first the Captain could not see anything noticeable in the 


56 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


direction in which Maka was pointing, but in a few mo- 
ments his mariner eyes asserted themselves, and he saw 
some black spots on the strip of beach, which seemed to 
move. Then he knew they were moving, and moving 
toward him, coming up to the cave ! They were men ! 

Sit here,’’ said the Captain to Maka, and then with 
his gun in his hand, he rushed back to the rest of the 
party. 

^^They seem to be coming,” said he, speaking as calmly, 
as he could, but we have discovered them in good time, 
and I shall have some shots at them before they reach 
here. Let us hope that they will never get here at all. 
You two,” said he to Mrs. Cliif and Kalph, “are to be 
under command of Miss Markham. You must do exactly 
what she tells you to.” Then turning to Edna, he said, 
“ You have your pistol ready ? ” 

“Yes,” said she, “ I am ready.” 

Without another word the Captain took his other gun 
and all his ammunition and went back into the passage. 
Here he found Mok, who had come to see what was the 
matter. Motioning the negro to go back to his post, the 
Captain with his loaded guns went again to the entrance. 
Looking out, he could now plainly see the men. There 
were four of them. It was lighter down toward the sea, 
for the rocks still threw a heavy shadow over the plateau. 
The sight sent a thrill of brave excitement through the 
Captain. 

“If they come in squads of four,” thought he, “I may 
be a match for them. They can’t see me, and I can see 
them. If I could trust Maka to load a gun, I would have 
a better chance, but if I could pick off two or even one, 
that might stop the others and give me time to reload. 
Come on, you black-hearted scoundrels,” he muttered 


THE ALARM 


57 


through his teeth, as he knelt outside the cave, one gun 
partly raised, and the other on the ground beside him. 
‘‘If I could only know that none of your band could 
come in at that hole in the back of the cave, I’d call the 
odds even.” 

The dawn grew brighter, and the four men drew nearer. 
They came slowly, one considerably ahead of the others. 
Two or three times they stopped and appeared to be con- 
sulting, and then again moved slowly forward straight 
toward the plateau. 

When the leading man was nearly within gunshot, 
the Captain’s face began to burn, and his pulses to throb 
hard and fast. 

“ The sooner I pick off the head one,” he thought, “ the 
better chance I have at the others.” 

He brought his gun to his shoulder, and was slowly 
lowering the barrel to the line of aim, when suddenly 
something like a great black beast rushed past him, push- 
ing up his arm and nearly toppling him over. It came 
from the cave, and in a second it was out on the plateau. 
Then it gave a leap upward and rushed down toward the 
sea. Utterly astounded, the Captain steadied himself 
and turned to Maka. 

“ What was that ? ” he exclaimed. 

The African was on his feet, his body bent forward, 
his eyes peering out into the distance. 

“ Mok ! ” said he. “ Look ! Look ! ” 

It was Mok who had rushed out of the cave. He was 
running toward the four men ; he reached them, he threw 
up his arms, he sprang upon the first man, then he left 
him and jumped upon the others. Then Maka gave a 
little cry and sprang forward, but in the same instant 
the Captain seized him. 


58 THE ADVEl^ TUBES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


Stop ! ” he cried. “ What is it ? ’’ 

The African shouted, ^^Mok’s people! Mok knowed 
them. Look I Look see 1 Mok ! ” 

The party was now near enough and the day was 
bright enough for the Captain to see that on the lower 
ground beyond the plateau there were five black men 
in a state of mad excitement. He could hear them 
jabbering away at a great rate. So far as he could dis- 
cover they were all unarmed, and as they stood there 
gesticulating the Captain might have shot them down 
in a bunch if he had chosen. 

Go,” said he to Maka, go down there and see what 
it all means.” 

The Captain now stepped back into the passage. He 
could see Miss Markham and Kalph peering out of the 
doorway of the first compartment. 

“ There does not seem to be any danger so far,” said 
he ; “ some more Africans have turned up. Maka has gone 
to meet them. We shall find out about them in a few 
minutes,” and he turned back to the entrance. 

He saw that the six black fellows were coming toward 
him, and as he had thought, they carried no guns. 


CHAPTER IX 

AN AMAZING NARRATION 

When the Captain had gone out again into the open 
air he was followed by the rest of the party ; for if there 
were no danger, they all wanted to see what was to be 
seen. WTiat they saw was a party of six black men on 


AN AMAZING NARRATION 


59 


the plateau, Maka in the lead. There could be no doubt 
that the newcomers were the remainder of the party of 
Africans who had been enslaved by the Rackbirds, and 
the desire of the Captain and his companions to know 
how they had got away and what news they brought 
was most intense. 

Maka now hurried forward, leading one of the stran- 
gers. Great things they tell,’’ said he; “this Cheditafa, 
he speak English good as me. He tell you.” 

“The first thing I want,” cried the Captain, “is some 
news of those Rackbirds. Have they found we are here ? 
Will they be coming after these men, or have they gone 
off somewhere else ? Tell me this and be quick.” 

“ Oh yes,” cried Maka, “ they found out we here, but 
Cheditafa tell you ; he tell you everything, great things.” 

“Very well, then,” said the Captain; “let him begin 
and be quick about it.” 

The appearance of Cheditafa was quite as miserable as 
that of poor Mok, but his countenance was much more 
intelligent, and his English, although very much broken, 
was better even than Maka’s, and he was able to make 
himself perfectly understood. He spoke briefly, and this 
is the substance of his story : — 

About the middle of the afternoon of the day before a 
wonderful thing happened ; the Rackbirds had had their 
dinner, which they had cooked themselves, and they 
were all lying down in their huts or in the shadows of 
the rocks, either asleep or smoking and telling stories. 
Cheditafa knew why they were resting; the Rackbirds 
had no idea that he understood English, for he had 
been careful to keep this fact from them after he found 
out what sort of men they were, — and this knowledge 
had come very soon to him, — and they spoke freely 


60 THE ADVENTtJEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

before him. He had heard some of the men who had 
been out looking for Mok, and who had come back early 
that morning, tell about some shipwrecked people in a 
cave up the coast and had heard all the plans which had 
been made for the attack upon them during the night. 
He also knew why he and his fellows had been cooped 
up in the cave in the rock in which they lived, all that 
day, and had not been allowed to come down and do 
any work. 

They were lying huddled in their little cave, feeling 
very hungry and miserable and whispering together, — 
for if they spoke out or made any noise, one of the men 
below would be likely to fire a load of shot at them, — 
when suddenly a strange thing happened. 

They heard a great roar like a thousand bulls, which 
came from the higher part of the ravine, and peeping 
out, they saw what seemed like a wall of rock stretching 
across the little valley, but in a second they saw it was 
not rock, it was water, and before they could take two 
breaths it had reached them. Then it passed on, and 
they saw only the surface of a furious and raging stream, 
the waves curling and dashing over each other and reach- 
ing almost up to the floor of their cave. 

They were so frightened that they pressed back as far 
as they could get, and even tried to climb up the sides 
of the rocky cavity, so fearful were they that the water 
would dash in upon them. But the raging flood roared 
and surged outside, and none of it came into their cave. 
Then the sound of it became not quite so loud and grew 
less and less, but still Cheditafa and his companions 
were so frightened and so startled by this awful thing, 
happening so suddenly as if it had been magic, that it 
was some time, he did not know how long, before they 


AN AMAZING NARRATION 


61 


lifted their faces from the rocks, against which they 
were pressing them. 

Then Cheditafa crept forward and looked out. The 
great waves and the roaring water were gone. There 
was no water to be seen except the brook which always 
ran at the bottom of the ravine, and which now seemed 
not very much bigger than it had been that morning. 

But the little brook was all there was in the ravine 
except the bare rocks, wet and glistening. There were 
no huts, no Eackbirds, nothing. Even the vines and 
bushes which had been growing up the sides of the 
stream were all gone. Not a weed, not a stick, not a 
clod of earth, was left, nothing but a great rocky ravine, 
washed bare and clean. 

Edna Markham stepped suddenly forward and seized 
the Captain by the arm. ^^It was the lake,’’ she cried, 
the lake swept down that ravine ! ” 

‘^Yes,” said the Captain; ^4t must have been. But 
listen ; let us hear more. Go on,” he said to Cheditafa, 
who proceeded to tell how he and his companions looked 
out for a long time ; but they saw nor heard nothing of 
any living creature. It would be easy enough for any- 
body to come back up the ravine, but nobody came. 

They had now grown so hungry that they could have 
almost eaten each other. They felt they must get out of 
the cave and go to look for food. It would be better to 
be shot than to sit there and starve. 

Then they devised a plan by which they could get 
down. The smallest man got out of the cave and let 
himself hang, holding to the outer edge of the floor with 
his hands. Then another man put his feet over the edge 
of the rock, and let the hanging man take hold of them. 
The other two each seized an arm of the second man and 


62 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


aowered the two down as far as they could reach. When 
they had done this, the bottom man dropped and did not 
hurt himself. Then they had to pull up the second man, 
for the fall would have been too great for him. 

After that they had to wait a long time, while the 
man who had got out went to look for something by 
which the others could help themselves down, the ladder 
they had used having been carried away with everything 
else. After going a good way down the ravine to a place 
where it grew much wider, with the walls lower, he 
found things that had been thrown up on the sides, and 
among these was the trunk of a young tree, which, after 
a great deal of hard work, he brought back to the cave j 
and by the help of this they all scrambled down. 

They hurried down the ravine, and as they approached 
the lower part where it became wider before opening 
into the little bay into which the stream ran, they found 
that the flood as it had grown shallower and spread itself 
out had left here and there various things which it had 
Drought down from the camp, — bits of the huts, articles of 
clothing, and after a while they came to a Rackbird quite 
dead, and hanging upon a point of projecting rock. Fur- 
ther on they found two or three more bodies stranded, 
and later in the day some Rackbirds, who had been 
washed out to sea, came back with the tide and were 
found upon the beach. It was impossible, Cheditafa 
said, for any of them to have escaped from that raging 
torrent, which hurled them against the rocks as it carried 
them down to the sea. 

But the little party of hungry Africans did not stop 
to examine anything which had been left. What they 
wanted was something to eat, and they knew where to 
get it. About a quarter of a mile back from the beach 


AN AMAZING NARRATION 


63 


was the storehouse of the Rackbirds, a sort of cellar 
which they had made in a sand hill. As the Africans 
had carried the stores over from the vessel which had 
brought them and had afterward taken to the camp such 
supplies as were needed from time to time, of course they 
knew where to find them, and they lost no time in mak- 
ing a hearty meal. 

According to Cheditafa’s earnest assertions they had 
never eaten as they had eaten then. He believed that 
the reason they had been left without food was that the 
Rackbirds were too proud to wait on black men and had 
concluded to let them suffer until they had returned 
from their expedition and the negroes could be let down 
to attend to their own wants. 

After they had eaten, the Africans went to a spot 
which commanded a view up the ravine, as well as the 
whole of the bay, and there they hid themselves and 
watched as long as it was daylight, so that if any of the 
Rackbirds had escaped they could see them; but they 
saw nothing, and being very anxious to find good, white 
people who would take care of them, they started out 
before dawn that morning to look for the shipwrecked 
party, about whom Cheditafa had heard the Rackbirds 
talking, and with whom they hoped to find their com- 
panion Mok, and thus it was that they were here. 

“ And those men were coming to attack us last night ? ” 
asked the Captain. You are sure of that ? 

Yes,’’ said Cheditafa, ^4t was last night. They not 
know how many you are, and all were coming.” 

And some of them had already been here ? ” 

‘‘Yes,” replied the African; “one day before, three 
went out to look for Mok, and they found his track and 
more track, and they waited in the black darkness and 


64 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

then came here and they heard you all sleep and snore 
that night. They were to come again, and if they — ’’ 
^^And yesterday afternoon the lake came down and 
swept them out of existence ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. 


CHAPTEK X 

THE CAPTAIN EXPLORES 

When Captain Horn had heard the story of Cheditafa, 
he walked away from the rest of the party, and stood, his 
eyes upon the ground, still mechanically holding his gun. 
He now knew that the great danger he had feared had 
been a real one, and far greater than he had imagined. 
A systematic attack by all the Eackbirds would have 
swept away his single resistance as the waters had swept 
them away and their camp. As to parley or compromise 
with those wretches, he knew that it would have been 
useless to think of it. They allowed no one to go forth 
from their hands to reveal the place of their rendezvous. 

But although he was able to appreciate, at its full force, 
the danger with which they had been threatened, his 
soul could not immediately adjust itself to the new con- 
ditions. It had been pressed down so far that it could 
not easily rise again. He felt that he must make him- 
self believe in the relief which had come to them, and, 
turning sharply, he called out to Cheditafa : — 

Man, since you have been in this part of the country, 
have you ever seen or heard of any wild beasts here? 
Are there any jaguars or pumas ? 

The African shook his head. ^^No, no,’’ said he; ^^no 


THE CAPTAIN EXPLORES 


65 


wild beasts. Everybody sleep out of doors. No think 
of beasts, no snakes.” 

The Captain dropped his gun upon the ground. ^^Miss 
Markham ! ” he exclaimed ; Mrs. Cliff ! I truly believe 
we are out of all danger. That we — ” 

But the two ladies had gone inside, and heard him not. 
They appreciated to the full the danger from which they 
had been delivered. Ealph too had gone. The Captain 
saw him on his post of observation, jamming the end of 
his flag-pole down between two rocks. 

Hello!” cried the boy, seeing the Captain looking 
up at him ; we might as well have this flying here all 
the time. There is nobody to hurt us now, and we want 
people to know where we are.” 

The Captain walked by the little group of Africans, 
who were sitting on the ground, talking in their native 
tongue, and entered the passage. He climbed over the 
barrier and went to the lake. He did not wish to talk to 
anybody, but he felt that he must do something, and now 
was a good time to carry out his previous intention to 
cross over the empty bed of the lake and to look out of 
the opening on the other side. There was no need now 
to do this for purposes of vigilance, but he thought that 
if he could get out on the other side of the cave he might 
discover some clue to the disappearance of the lake. 

He had nearly crossed the lake bottom when suddenly 
he stopped, gazing at something which stood before him, 
and which was doubtless the object he had struck when 
swimming. The sun was now high and the cave well- 
lighted, and with a most eager interest the Captain 
examined the slimy and curious object on which his feet 
had rested when it was submerged and from which he 
had fallen. It was not the horizontal trunk of a tree 

F 


66 THE ADVENTURES OF 


xAIN HORN 


with a branch projecting from it at right angles. It 
was nothing that was natural or had grown; it was 
plainly the work of man. It was a machine. 

At first the Captain thought it was made of wood, but 
afterward he believed it to be of metal of some sort. The 
horizontal portion of it was a great cylinder, so near the 
bottom of the lake that he could almost touch it with his 
hands, and it was supported by a massive framework. 
From this projected a long limb or bar which was now 
almost horizontal, but which the Captain believed to be 
the thick rod which had stood upright when he clutched 
it, and which had yielded to his weight and had gone 
down with him. He knew now what it was; it was a 
handle that had turned. 

He hurried to the other end of the huge machine, 
where it rested against the rocky wall of the cavern. 
There he saw in the shadow, but plain enough now that 
he was near it, a circular aperture, a yard or more in 
diameter. Inside of this was something which looked 
like a solid wheel, very thick, and standing upright in 
the opening ; it was a valve. The Captain stepped back 
and gazed for some minutes at this great machine which 
the disappearance of the water had revealed. It was easy 
for him to comprehend it now. 

“ When I slipped and sank,” he said to himself, I 
pulled down that lever and I opened the water gate and 
let out the lake.” 

The Captain was a man whose mind was perfectly cap- 
able of appreciating novel and strange impressions, but 
with him such impressions always connected themselves 
in one way or another with action: he could not stand 
and wonder at the wonderful which had happened, — it 
always suggested something he must do. What he now 


THE CAPTAIN EXPLORES 


67 


wanted to do was to climb up to the great aperture which 
lighted the cavern and see what was outside. He could 
not understand how the lake could have gone from its 
basin without the sound of the rushing waters being 
heard by any one of the party. 

With some difficulty he climbed up to the cleft and got 
outside. Here he had a much better view of the topog- 
graphy of the place than he had yet been able to obtain. 
So far as he had explored, his view toward the interior of 
the country had been impeded by rocks and hills. Here 
he had a clear view from the mountains to the sea, and 
the ridge which he had before seen to the southward, he 
could now examine to greater advantage. It was this 
long chain of rocks which had concealed them from their 
enemies, and on the other side of which must be the 
ravine in which the Rackbirds had made their camp. 

Immediately below the Captain was a little gorge, not 
very deep nor wide, and from its general trend toward 
the east and south the Captain was sure that it formed 
the upper part of the ravine of the Rackbirds. At the 
bottom of it there trickled a little stream. To the north- 
east ran another line of low rock, which lost itself in the 
distance before it blended into the mountains, and at 
the foot of this must run the stream which had fed the 
lake. 

In their search for water, game, or fellow-beings, no 
one had climbed these desolate rocks, apparently dry and 
barren. But still the Captain was puzzled as to the way 
the water had gone out of the lake. He did not believe 
that it had flowed through the ravine below. Tlffire were 
no signs that there had been a flood down there. Little 
vines and plants were growing in chinks of the rocks 
close to the water. And, moreover, had a vast deluge 


68 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

rushed out almost beneath the opening which lighted the 
cave, it must have been heard by some of the party. He 
concluded, therefore, that the water had escaped through 
a subterranean channel below the rocks from which he 
looked down. 

He climbed down the sides of the gorge, and walked 
along its bottom for two or three hundred yards, until 
around a jutting point of rock he saw that the sides of 
the defile separated for a considerable distance, and then 
coming together again below, formed a sort of amphi- 
theatre. The bottom of this was a considerable distance 
below him, and he did not descend into it ; but he saw 
plainly that it had recently contained water, for pools 
and puddles were to be seen everywhere. 

At the other end of it, where the rocks again ap- 
proached each other, was probably a precipice. After a 
few minutes’ cogitation. Captain Horn felt sure that he 
understood the whole matter; a subway from the lake 
led to this amphitheatre, and thus there had been no 
audible rush of the waters until they reached this point, 
where they poured in and filled this great basin, the 
lower end of which was probably stopped up by accumu- 
lations of sand and deposits, which even in that country 
of scant vegetation had accumulated in the course of 
years. When the waters of the lake had rushed into the 
amphitheatre, this natural dam had held them for a 
while, but then giving way before the great pressure, the 
whole body of water had suddenly rushed down the 
ravine to the sea. 

^^Yes,” said the Captain, ‘^now I understand how it 
happened that although I opened the valve at noon, the 
water did not reach the Eackbirds until some hours later, 
and then it came suddenly and all at once, which would 


THE CAPTAIK EXPLORES 


69 


not have been the case had it flowed steadily from the 
beginning through the outlet made for it.” 

When the Captain had returned and reported his dis- 
coveries, and he and his party had finished their noon- 
day meal, which they ate outside on the plateau with the 
fire burning and six servants to wait on them, Mrs. Cliff 
said : — 

And now. Captain, what are we going to do ? Now 
that our danger is past, I suppose the best thing for us is 
to stay here in quiet and thankfulness and wait for Mr. 
E-ynders. But with the provisions we have we can’t wait 
very long. When there were but five of us we might have 
made the food hold out for a day or two longer, but now, 
that we are ten, we shall soon be without anything to 
eat.” 

‘‘I have been talking to Maka about that,” said the 
Captain, ‘^and he says that Cheditafa reports all sorts 
of necessary things in the Eackbirds’ storehouse, and he 
proposes that he and the rest of the black fellows go 
down there and bring us some supplies. They are used 
to carrying these stores, and six of them can bring us 
enough to last a good while. Now that everything Is 
safe over there, I can see that Maka is very anxious to go, 
and, in fact, I would like to go myself. But although 
there doesn’t seem to be any danger at present, I do not 
want to leave you.” 

As for me,” said Miss Markham, I want to go there. 
There is nothing I like better than exploring.” 

That’s to my taste too,” said the Captain, “ but it will 
be better for us to wait here and see what Maka has to 
say when he gets back. Perhaps if Mr. Eynders doesn’t 
turn up pretty soon, we will all make a trip down there. 
Where is Ealph ? I don’t want him to go with the men.” 


70 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


He is up there on his look-out, as he calls it,’’ said his 
sister, with his spy-glass.” 

‘^Very good,” said the Captain; “I will send the men 
off immediately. Maka wants to go now, and they can 
come back by the light of the young moon. When they 
have loads to carry, they like to travel at night. We 
shall have to get our own supper, and that wdll give 
Ralph something to do.” 

The party of Africans had not gone half way from the 
plateau to the beach before they were discovered by the 
boy on the outlook rock, and he came rushing down to re- 
port that the darkies were running away. When he was 
told the business on which they had gone, he was very 
much disappointed that he was not allowed to go with 
them, and, considerably out of temper, retired to his post 
of observation, where, as it appeared, he was dividing his 
time between the discovery of distant specks on the 
horizon line of the ocean and imaginary jaguars and 
pumas on the foothills. 


CHAPTER XI 

A NEW HEMISPHERE 

With a tin pail in his hand the Captain now went to 
the cavern of the lake. He wished very much to procure 
some better water than the last that had been brought, 
and which Mok must have dipped up from a very shallow 
puddle. It was possible, the Captain thought, that by 
going further into the cavern he might find a deeper pool 
in which water still stood, and if he could not do this 


A NEW HEMISPHERE 


71 


he could get water from the little stream in the ravine. 
More than this, the Captain wished very much to take 
another look at the machine by which he had let out the 
water. His mind had been so thoroughly charged with 
the sense of danger that until this had faded away he had 
not been able to take the interest in the artificial char- 
acter of the lake which it deserved. 

As the Captain advanced into the dimmer recesses of 
the cavern, he soon found a pool of water a foot or more 
in depth, and, having filled his pail at this, he set it down 
and walked on to see what was beyond. His eyes having 
now conformed themselves to the duskiness of the place, 
he saw that the cavern soon made a turn to the left, and 
gazing beyond him he judged that the cave was very much 
wider here, and he also thought that the roof was higher ; 
but he did not pay much attention to the dimensions of 
the cavern, for he began to discern, at first dimly and 
then quite plainly, a large object which rose from the 
bottom of the basin. He advanced eagerly, peering at 
what seemed to be a sort of dome-like formation of a 
lighter color than the rocks about him and apparently 
about ten feet high. 

Carefully feeling his way for fear of pitfalls, the Cap- 
tain drew close to the object and placed his hand upon it. 
He believed it to be of stone, and moving his hand over 
it he thought he could feel joints of masonry. It was 
clearly a structure built by men. Captain Horn searched 
his pockets for a match, but found none, and he hastened 
back to the cave to get the lantern, passing, without 
noticing it, the pail which he had filled with water. He 
would have brought the lantern with him when he first 
came, but they had no oil except what it contained, and 
this they had husbanded for emergencies. But now the 


72 THE ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HOEN 


Captain wanted light — he cared not what might happen 
afterward. In a very short time, with the lantern in his 
hand, which lighted up the cave for a considerable distance 
about him, the Captain again stood at the foot of the sub- 
terranean dome. 

He walked around it, he raised and lowered his lantern, 
and examined it from top to bottom. It was one-half a 
sphere of masonry, built in a most careful manner, and, 
to all appearances, as solid as a great stone ball, half 
sunken in the ground. Its surface was smooth, except- 
ing for two lines of protuberances, each a few inches in 
height, and about a foot from each other. These rows of 
little humps were on opposite sides of the dome, and 
froDa the bottom nearly to the top. It was plain they 
were intended to serve as rude ladders by which the top 
of the mound could be gained. 

The Captain stepped back, held up his lantern, and 
gazed in every direction. He could now see the roof of 
the cavern, and immediately above him he perceived what 
he was sure were regular joints of masonry, but on the 
sides of the cave he saw nothing of the sort. Tor some 
minutes he stood and reflected, his brain in a whirl. 
Presently he exclaimed : — 

Yes, this cave is man’s work ! I am sure of it. It is 
not natural. I wondered how there could be such a cave 
on the top of a hill. It was originally a gorge, and they 
have roofed it over, and the bottom of the basin has been 
cut out to make it deeper. It was made so that it could 
be filled up with water, and roofed over so that nobody 
should know there was any water here, unless they came 
on it by means of the passage from our caves. That 
passage must have been blocked up. And as for the 
great opening in the side of the cave, the rocks have 


A NEW HEMISPHERE 


73 


fallen in there ; that is easy enough to see. Yes, men 
made this cave and filled it with water, and if the water 
were high enough to cover the handle of that machine, 
as it was when I struck it, it must also have been high 
enough to cover up this stone mound. The lake was 
intended to cover and hide that mound. And then to 
make the hiding of it doubly sure, the men who built all 
this totally covered up the lake so that nobody would 
know it was here ; and then they built that valve appa- 
ratus, which was also submerged, so that they could let 
out the water when they wanted to get at this stone 
thing, whatever it is. What a scheme to hide anything ! 
Even if anybody discovered the lake, which would not 
be likely until some part of the cave fell in, they would 
not know it was anything but a lake when they did see 
it. And as for letting off the water, nobody but the 
people who knew about it could possibly do that, unless 
somebody was fool enough to take the cold bath I was 
obliged to take, and even then it would have been a 
hundred chances to one that he found the lever and 
would know how to turn it when he did find it. This 
whole thing is the work of the ancient South Americans, 
and I expect that this stone mound is the tomb of one of 
their kings.’’ 

At this moment the Captain heard something, and 
turned to listen. It was a voice, — the voice of a boy. 
It was Ralph calling to him. Instantly the Captain 
turned and hurried away, and as he went he extinguished 
his lantern. When he reached his pail of water he 
picked it up, and was very soon joined by Ralph, who 
was coming to meet him over the bottom of the lake. 

^‘1 have been looking for you everywhere. Captain,” 
said he; ^^what have you been after? More water? 


74 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

And you took a lantern to find it, eh ? And you have 
been ever so far into the cave ; why didn’t you call me ? 
Let me have the lantern, I want to go to explore.” 

But the Captain did not give him the lantern, nor did 
he allow him to go to explore. 

“No, sir,” said he; “what we’ve got to do is to hurry 
outside and help get supper. We must wait on ourselves 
to-night.” 

When supper was over that evening and the little 
party was sitting out on the plateau, gazing over the 
ocean at the sunlit sky, Mrs. Cliff declared that she 
wished they could bring their bedding and spread it on 
the ground out there, and sleep. 

“ It is dry enough,” she said, “ and warm enough, and 
if there is really nothing to fear from animals or men, I 
don’t want ever to go inside of those caves again. I had 
such horrible fears and ideas when I was sitting trem- 
bling in those dismal vaults, expecting a horde of human 
devils to burst in upon us at any moment, that the whole 
place is horrible to me. Anyway, if I knew that I had 
to be killed, I would rather be killed out here.” 

The Captain smiled. “ I don’t think we will give up 
the caves just yet. I, for one, most certainly want to go 
in there again.” And then he told the story of the stone 
mound which he had discovered. 

“And you believe,” cried Mrs. Cliff, leaning forward, 
“ that it is really the tomb of an ancient king ? ” 

“ If it isn’t that, I don’t know what it can be,” said the 
Captain. 

“ The grave of a king ! ” cried Ralph. “ A mummy ! 
With inscriptions and paintings. Oh, Captain, let’s go 
open it this minute before those blackies get back.” 

The Captain shook his head. “Don’t be in such a 


A NEW HEMISPHERE 


75 


hurry,” he said; “it will not be an easy job to open that 
mound, and we shall need the help of the blackies, as 
you call them, if we do it at all.” 

“ Do it at all ! ” cried Kalph ; “ I’ll never leave this 
place until I do it myself, if there is nobody else to help.” 

Miss Markham sat silent. She was the only one of 
the company who had studied the history of South 
America, and she did not believe that the ancient inhab- 
itants of that comitry buried their kings in stone tombs 
or felt it necessary to preserve their remains in phenom- 
enal secrecy and security. She had read things, how- 
ever, about the ancient peoples of this country, which 
now made her eyes sparkle and her heart beat quickly, 
but she did not say anything. This was a case in which 
it would be better to wait to see what would happen. 

“ Captain ! ” cried Ralph, “ let’s go to see the thing. 
What is the use of waiting ? Edna and Mrs. Cliff won’t 
mind staying here while you take me to see it. We can 
go in ten minutes.” 

“No,” said Mrs. Cliff, “there may be no danger, but I 
am not going to be left here with the sun almost down, 
and you two out of sight and hearing.” 

“ Let us all go,” said Edna. 

The Captain considered for a moment. “ Yes,” said he, 
“let us all go. As we shall have to take a lantern any- 
way, this is as good a time as another.” 

It was not an easy thing for the two ladies to get over 
the wall at the end of the passage, and to make their way 
over the rough and slippery bottom of the lake basin, now 
lighted only by the lantern which the Captain carried. 
But in the course of time, with a good deal of help from 
their companions, they reached the turning of the cave 
and stood before the stone mound. 


76 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

^‘Hurrah.!’’ cried Kalph; Captain, you are like 

Columbus ! You have discovered a new hemisphere.’^ 
is like one of the great ant-hills of Africa,” said 
Mrs. Cliff, but of course this was not built by ants. I 
wonder if it is possible that it can be the abode of water- 
snakes.” 

Edna stood silent for a few moments, and then she said, 
“Captain, do you suppose that this dome was entirely 
covered by water when the lake was full?” 

“ I think so,” said he. “ Judging from what I know of 
the depth of the lake, I am almost sure of it.” 

“ Kalph ! ” suddenly cried Mrs. Cliff, “ don’t try to do 
that. The thing may break under you, and nobody knows 
what you would fall into. Come down.” 

But Ralph paid no attention to her words. He was 
half-way up the side of the moimd when she began to 
speak, and on its top when she had finished. 

“Captain!” he cried, “hand me up the lantern. I 
want to see if there is a trap-door into this affair. Don’t 
be afraid, Mrs. Cliff ; it’s as solid as a rock.” 

The Captain did not hand up the lantern, but hold- 
ing it carefully in one hand, he ascended the dome by 
means of the row of protuberances on the other side, and 
crouched down beside Ralph on the top of it. 

“ Oh ho ! ” said he, as he moved the lantern this way 
and that, “ here is a square slab fitted into the very top.” 

“Yes,” said Ralph, “and it’s got different mortar 
around the edges.” 

“ That is not mortar,” said the Captain ; “ I believe it is 
some sort of resin. Here, hold the lantern and be careful 
of it.” The Captain took his jack-knife out of his pocket, 
and with the large blade began to dig into the substance 
which filled the joint around the slab, which was about 


A NEW HEMISPHERE 


77 


eighteen inches square. It is resin,” said he, or some- 
thing like it, and it comes out very easily ; this • slab is 
intended to be moved.” 

Indeed it is ! ” exclaimed Ralph, and we’re intended 
to move it. Here, Captain, I’ll help you. I’ve got a knife. 
Let’s dig out that stuff, and lift up' the lid before the 
darkies come back. If we find any dead bodies inside 
this tomb, they will frighten those fellows to death, if 
they catch sight of them.” 

“Very good,” said the Captain; “I shall be only too 
glad to get this slab up if I can, but I am afraid we shall 
want a crowbar and more help. It’s a heavy piece of 
stone, and I see no way of getting at it.” 

“ This isn’t stone in the middle of the slab,” said Ralph ; 
“ it’s a lot more resinous stuff. I had the lantern over 
it and did not see it. Let’s take it out.” 

There was a circular space in the centre of the stone 
about eight inches in diameter, which seemed to be cov- 
ered with resin. After a few minutes’ work with the 
jack-knives this substance was loosened and came out 
in two parts, showing a bowl-like depression in the slab, 
which had been so cut as to leave a little bar running 
from side to side of it. 

“ A handle ! ” cried Ralph. 

“That is what it is,” said Captain Horn. “If it is 
ntended to be lifted, I ought to be able to do it. Move 
down a little with the lantern and give me room.” 

The Captain now stood on the top of the mound, with 
the slab between his feet, and stooping down he took 
hold of the handle with both hands. He was a powerful 
man, but he could not lift the stone. His first effort, 
however, loosened it, and then he began to move it from 
side to side, still pulling upward until at last he could 


78 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


feel it rising. Then with a great heave he lifted it 
entirely out of the square aperture in which it had been 
fitted, and set it on one side. 

In an instant, Ealph, lantern in hand, was gazing down 
into the opening. “ Hello ! ’’ he cried, there is some- 
thing on fire in there. Oh no,’’ he added quickly, correct- 
ing himself, it’s only the reflection from our light.” 


CHAPTEE XII 

A TRADITION AND A WAISTCOAT 

Captain Horn, his face red with exertion and excite- 
ment, stood gazing down into the square aperture at his 
feet. On the other edge of the opening knelt Ealph, 
holding the lantern so that it would throw its light into 
the hole. In a moment, before the boy had time to form 
a question, he was pushed gently to one side, and his 
sister Edna, who had clambered up the side of the mound, 
knelt beside him. She peered down into the depths 
beneath, and then she drew back and looked up at the 
Captain. His whole soul was in his downward gaze, 
and he did not even see her. 

Then there came a voice from below. What is it ? ” 
cried Mrs. Cliff. ‘^What are you all looking at? Ho 
tell me.” 

With half-shut eyes Edna let herself down the side of 
the mound, and when her feet touched the ground she 
made a few tottering steps towards Mrs. Cliff, and plac- 
ing her two hands on her companion’s shoulders, she 
whispered, “ I thought it was. It is gold ! It is the gold 


A TRADITION AND A WAISTCOAT 79 

of the Incas.” And then she sank senseless at the feet 
of the older woman. 

Mrs. Cliff did not know that Miss Markham had fainted. 
She simply stood still and exclaimed, ^^Gold! What* 
does it mean ? ” 

What is it all about ? ” exclaimed Ealph ; it looks 
like petrified honey. This never could have been a bee- 
hive.” 

Without answering, Captain Horn knelt at the edge of 
the aperture, and taking the lantern from the boy, he 
let it down as far as it would go, which was only a foot 
or two. 

Ealph,” he said hoarsely, as he drew himself back, 
hold this lantern and get down out of my way. I must 
cover this up, quick.” And seizing the stone slab by the 
handle, he lifted it, as if it had been a pot lid, and let it 
down into its place. ^^How,” said he, ^^get down and 
let us all go away from this place. Those negroes may 
be back at any moment.” 

When Ealph found that his sister had fainted and that 
Mrs. Cliff did not know it, there was a little commotion 
at the foot of the mound, but some water in a pool 
near by soon revived Edna, and in ten minutes the party 
were on the plateau outside the caverns. The new moon 
was just beginning to peep over the rocks behind them, and 
the two ladies had seated themselves on the ground. 
Ealph was pouring out question after question to which 
nobody paid any attention, and Captain Horn, his hands 
thrust into his pockets, walked backward and forward, 
his face flushed and his breath coming heavily, and with 
his eyes upon the ground he seemed to think himself 
entirely alone among those desolate crags. 

Pan any of you tell me what it means ? ” cried Mrs. 


80 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Cliff. Edna, do you understand it ? Tell me quickly, 
some of you ! ” 

I believe I know what it means,’’ said Edna, her 
^voice trembling as she spoke. I thought I knew as soon 
as I heard of the mound covered up by the lake, but I 
did not dare to say anything, because if my opinion 
should be correct it would be so wonderful, so astound- 
ing, my mind could hardly take hold of it.” 

But what is it ? ” cried Mrs. Cliff and Ealph, almost 
in one breath. 

I scarcely know what to say,” said Edna, my mind 
is in such a whirl about it ; but I will tell you something of 
what I have read of the ancient history of Peru, and then 
you will understand my fancies about this stone mound. 
When the Spaniards, under Pizarro, came to this country, 
their main object, as we all know, was booty. They 
especially wished to get hold of the wonderful treasures 
of the Incas, the ancient rulers of Peru. This was the 
reason of almost all the cruelties and wickedness of the 
invaders. The Incas tried various ways of preserving 
their treasures from th^||f lutch of the Spaniards, and I 
have read of a tradition that they drained a lake, probably 
near Cuzco, the ancient capital, and made a strong cellar 
or mound at the bottom of it in which to hide their gold. 
They then let the water in again, and the tradition also 
says that this mound has never been discovered.” 

Do you believe,” cried the Captain, that the mound 
back there in the cavern is the place where the Incas 
stored their gold ? ” 

“ I do not believe it is the place I read about,” said 
Miss Markham, ^^for that, as I said, must have been 
near Cuzco ; but there is no reason why there should not 
have been other places of concealment. This was far 


A TRADITION AND A WAISTCOAT 


81 


away from the capital, but that would make the treasure 
so much the safer. The Spaniards would never have ' 
thought of going to such a lonely, deserted place as this, 
and the Incas would not have spared any time or trouble 
necessary to securely hide their treasures.’’ 

If you are right,” cried the Captain, this is indeed 
astounding! Treasure in a mound of stone; a mound 
covered by water, which could be let off! The whole 
shut up in a cave which must have originally been as 
dark as pitch ! When we come to think of it,” he con- 
tinued excitedly, ‘^it is an amazing hiding-place, no 
matter what was put into the mound.” 

“ And do you mean,” almost screamed Mrs. Cliff, that 
that stone thing down there is filled with the wealth of 
the Incas ? The fabulous gold we read about ? ” 

^^I do not know what else it can be,” replied Edna. 
“What I saw when I looked down into the hole was 
surely gold.” 

“ Yes,” said the Captain, “ it was gold ; gold in small 
bars.” 

“ Why didn’t you get a piece. Captain ? ” asked Kalph. 
“ Then we could be sure about it. If that thing is nearly 
filled, there must be tons of it.” 

“ I did not think,” said the Captain. “ I could not 
think. I was afraid somebody would come.” 

“ And now tell me this,” cried Mrs. Cliff. “ Who does 
this gold belong to? That is what I want to know. 
Whose is it ? ” 

“ Come ! come ! ” said the Captain, “ let us stop talk- 
ing about this thing and thinking about it. We shall 
all be maniacs if we don’t quiet ourselves a little ; and 
besides, it cannot be long before those black fellows come 
back, and we do not want to be speaking about it then. 

G 


82 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


To-morrow we will examine the mound and see what it 
is we have discovered. In the mean time let us quiet 
our minds and get a good night’s sleep if we can. This 
whole affair is astounding, but we must not let it make 
us crazy before we understand it.” 

Miss Markham was a young woman very capable of 
controlling herself. It was true she had been more 
affected in consequence of the opening of the mound 
than any of the others, but that was because she under- 
stood, or thought she understood, what the discovery 
meant, and to the others it was something which at first 
they could not appreciate. Now she saw the good com- 
mon sense of the Captain’s remarks, and said no more 
that evening on the subject of the stone mound. 

But Mrs. Cliff and Ealph could not be quiet. They 
must talk, and, as the Captain walked away that they 
might not speak to him, they talked to each other. 

It was nearly an hour after this that Captain Horn, 
standing on the outer end of the plateau, saw some black 
dots moving on the moonlit beach. They moved very 
slowly, and it was a long time — at least it seemed so to 
the Captain — before Maka and his companions reached 
the plateau. 

The negroes were heavily loaded with bags and packages, 
and they were glad to deposit their burdens on the ground. 

“ Hi ! ” cried the Captain, who spoke as if he had been 
drinking champagne ; you brought a good cargo, Maka, 
and now don’t let us hear any tales of what you have 
seen until we have had supper — supper for everybody. 
You know what you have got, Maka; let us have the 
best things, and let every one of you take a hand in 
making a fire and cooking. What we want is a first- 
class feast.” 


A TRADITION AND A WAISTCOAT 


83 


got ’em,” said Maka, wko understood English a 
good deal better than he could speak it; “ham, cheese, 
lots things. All want supper, good supper.” 

While the meal was being prepared. Captain Horn 
walked over to Mrs. Cliff and Ealph. “Now I beg of 
you,” he said, “ don’t let these men know we have found 
anything. This is a very important matter. Don’t talk 
about it, and if you can’t keep down your excitement, let 
them think it is the prospect of good victuals and plenty 
of them that has excited you.” 

After supper Maka and Cheditafa were called upon to 
tell their story, but they said very little. They had gone 
to the place where the Eackbirds had kept their stores, 
and had selected what Maka considered would be most 
desirable, including some oil for the lantern, and had 
brought away as much as they could carry. This was 
all. 

When the rest of his party had gone inside, hoping to 
get their minds quiet enough to sleep, and the Captain 
was preparing to follow them, Maka arose from the spot 
on the open plateau where the tired negroes had stretched 
themselves for the night, and said : — 

“ Got something tell you, alone. Come out here.” 

When the two had gone to a spot a little distance from 
the cavern entrance, where the light of the moon, now 
nearly set, enabled objects to be seen with some distinct- 
ness, Maka took from inside his shirt a small piece of 
clothing. “ Look here,” said he, “ this belong to Davis.” 

The Captain took the garment in his hand. It was a 
waistcoat made of plaid cloth, yellow, green, and red, 
and most striking in pattern, and Captain Horn instantly 
recognized it as the waistcoat of Davis, the Englishman. 

“ He dead,” said Maka, simply. 


84 


THE ADYENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


The Captain nodded. He had no doubt of it. 

Where did you find it ? he asked. 

Sticking on rock/’ said the African. ^^Lots things 
down there. Some one place; some another place. 
Didn’t know other things, but know this. Davis waist- 
coat. ISTo mistake that. Him wear it all time.” 

You are a good fellow, Maka,” said the Captain, ^^not 
to speak of this before the ladies. Now go and sleep. 
There is no need of a guard to-night.” 

The Captain went inside, procured his gun, and seated 
himself outside, with his back against a rock, and there 
he sat all night without once closing his eyes. He was 
not afraid that anything would come to molest them, but 
it was just as well to have the gun; and as for sleeping, 
that was impossible. He had heard and seen too much 
that day. 


CHAPTER XIII 

MINE ! ” 

Captain Horn and his party sat down together the 
next morning on the plateau to drink their hot coffee 
and eat their biscuit and bacon, and it was plain that the 
t^o ladies, as well as the Captain, had had little sleep 
the night before. Ralph declared that he had been 
awake ever so long endeavoring to calculate how many 
cubic feet of gold there would be in that mound if it 
were filled with the precious metal. “ But as I did not 
know how much a cubic foot of gold is worth,” said he, 
“ and as we might find after all that there is only a layer 


“ MINE ! ’’ 


85 


of gold on top, and that all the rest is Incas’ bones, I 
gave it up/’ 

The Captain was very grave, graver. Miss Markham 
thought, than the discovery of gold ought to make a man. 

We won’t worry ourselves with calculations,” said he. 
“ As soon as I can get rid of those black fellows we will 
go to see what is really in that tomb or storehouse, or 
whatever it is. We will make a thorough investigation 
this time.” 

When the men had finished eating, the Captain sent 
them all down to look for driftwood. The stock of wood 
on the plateau was almost exhausted, and he was glad to 
think of some reasonable work which would take them 
away from the cavern. 

As soon as they had gone, the Captain rose to get the 
lantern, and called Ralph to accompany him to the 
mound. 

When they were left alone, Edna said to Mrs. Cliff, 

Let us go over there to that shady rock where we can 
look out for a ship with Mr. Rynders in it, and let us 
talk about our neighbors in America. Let us try to for- 
get, for a time, all about what the Captain is going to 
investigate. If we keep on thinking and talking of it, our 
minds will not be in a fit condition to hear what he will 
have to tell us. It may all come to nothing, you know, 
and no matter what it comes to let us keep quiet and give 
our nerves a little rest.” ^ 

That is excellent advice,” said Mrs. Cliff ; but when 
they were comfortably seated in the shade, she said, “ I 
have been thinking, Edna, that the possession of vast 
treasures did not weaken the minds of those Incas. I 
supposed until yesterday that the caverns here were in- 
tended for some sort of temple for religious ceremonies, 


86 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


and that the great face on the rock out here was an idol, 
but now I do not believe that. All openings into the 
cave must once have been closed up, but it would not do 
to hide the place so that no one could ever find it again, 
so they carved that great head on the rocks. Nobody, 
except those who had hid the treasure, would know what 
the face meant.’’ 

Edna gave a little smile and sighed. I see it is of no 
use to try to get that mound out of our minds,” she said. 

Out of our minds ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. “ If one of 
the Kothschilds were to hand you a check for the whole 
of his fortune, would you expect to get that out of your 
mind ? ” 

Such a check,” said Edna, would be a certain for- 
tune ; we have not heard yet what this is.” 

I think we are the two meekest and humblest people 
in the whole world ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, walking up 
and down the sand. “ I don’t believe any other two per- 
sons would be content to wait here until somebody should 
come and tell them whether they were millionnaires or not. 
But of course somebody must stay outside to keep those 
colored people from swarming into the cave when they 
come back.” 

It was not long after this that Mrs. Cliff and Edna 
heard the sound of quickly advancing feet, and in a few 
moments they were joined by Ealph and the Captain. 

Your faces shine like gold,” cried Edna ; what have 
you found ? ” 

“ Found ! ” cried Kalph. “ Why, Edna, we’ve got — 

Be quiet, Ealph,” exclaimed Edna, “ I want to hear 
what the Captain has to say. Captain, what is in the 
mound ? ” 

^‘We went to the mound,” said he, speaking very 


“ MINE ! ” 


87 


rapidly, “ and when we got to the top and lifted off that 
stone lid, — upon my soul, ladies, I believe there is gold 
enough in that thing to ballast a ship. It isn’t filled 
quite up to the top, and of course I could not find out 
how deep the gold goes down; but I worked a hole in it 
as far down as my arm would reach, and found nothing 
but gold bars like this.” And glancing around to see 
that none of the Africans were returning, he took from 
his pocket a yellow object about three inches in length 
and an inch in diameter, shaped like a rough prism, cast 
in a rudely constructed mortar or mould. ^‘1 brought 
away just one of them,” he said, and then I shut down 
the lid, and we came away.” 

And is this gold ? ” exclaimed Edna, eagerly seizing 
the bar. Are you sure of it. Captain ? ” 

“ I am as sure of it as I am that I have a head on my 
shoulders,” said he, although when I was diving down 
into that pile I was not quite sure of that. No one would 
ever put anything but gold in such a hiding-place, and 
then anybody can see it is gold. Look here, I scraped 
that spot with my knife. I wanted to test it before I 
showed it to you. See how it shines ! I could easily cut 
into it. I believe it is virgin gold, not hardened with any 
alloy.” 

And that mound full of it ! ” cried Mrs. Cliff. 

I can’t say about that,” said the Captain ; ‘‘ but if the 
gold is no deeper than my arm went down into it, and all 
pure metal at that, why — bless my soul — it would make 
anybody crazy to try to calculate how much it is worth.” 

Now then,” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, who does all this 
gold belong to? We have found it, but whose is it ? ” 
‘^That is a point to be considered,” said the Captain; 
what is your opinion ? ” 


88 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about 
it/’ said Mrs. Cliff. “Of course that would have been all 
wasted though if it had turned out to be nothing but brass, 
but then I could not help it, and this is the conclusion I 
have come to: In the first place, it does not belong to the 
people who govern Peru now. They are descendants of 
the very Spaniards that the Incas hid their treasure from, 
and it would be a shame and a wickedness to let them 
have it. It would better stay there shut up for more cen- 
turies. Then, again, it would not be right to give it to the 
Indians, or whatever they call themselves, though they 
are descendants of the ancient inhabitants, for the people 
of Spanish blood would not let them keep it one minute, 
and they would get it, after all. And, besides, how could 
such treasures be properly divided among a race of 
wretched savages! It would be preposterous even if 
they should be allowed to keep it. They would drink 
themselves to death, and it would bring nothing but 
misery upon them. The Incas, in their way, were good, 
civilized people, and it stands to reason that the treasure 
they hid away should go to other good, civilized people 
when the Incas had departed from the face of the earth. 
Think of the good that could be done with such wealth 
should it fall into the proper hands ! Think of the good 
to the poor people of Peru with the right kind of mission 
work done among them ! I tell you all that the responsi- 
bility of this discovery is as great as its value in dollars. 
What do you think about it, Edna ? ” 

“ I think this,” said Miss Markham, “ so far as any of 
us have anything to do with it, it belongs to Captain 
Horn. He discovered it, and it is his.” 

“ The whole of it ? ” cried Ralph. 

“ Yes,” said his sister, firmly, “ the whole of it, so far 


“ MINE ! 


89 


as we are concerned. What lie chooses to do with it is 
his affair, and whether he gets every bar of gold or only 
a reward from the Peruvian Government, it is his to do 
what he pleases with it.’’ 

Now, Edna, I am amazed to hear you speak of the 
Peruvian Government,” cried Mrs. Cliff; ^Gt would be 
nothing less than a crime to let them have it or even 
know of it.” 

WTiat do you think. Captain ? ” asked Edna. 

“I am exactly of your opinion. Miss Markham,” he 
said, “ that treasure belongs to me. I discovered it, and 
it is for me to decide what is to be done with it.” 

“Now then,” exclaimed Ralph, his face very red, “I 
differ with you! We are all partners in this business, 
and it isn’t fair for any one to have everything.” 

“ And I am not so sure, either,” said Mrs. Cliff, “ that 
the Captain ought to decide what is to be done with this 
treasure. Each of us should have a voice.” 

“ Mrs. Cliff, Miss Markham, and Ralph,” said the Cap- 
tain, “ I have a few words to say to you, and I must say 
them quickly, for I see those black fellows coming. 
That treasure in the stone mound is mine. I discovered 
the mound, and no matter what might have been in it, 
the contents would have been mine. All that gold is 
just as much mine as if I dug it in a gold mine in Cali- 
fornia, and we won’t discuss that question any further. 
What I want to say particularly is that it may seem very 
selfish in me to claim the whole of that treasure, but I 
assure you that that is the only thing to be done. I 
know you will all agree to that when you see the matter 
in the proper light, and I have told you my plans about 
it. I intended to claim all that treasure, if it turned out 
to be treasure ; I made up my mind to that last night, 


90 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


and I am very glad Miss Markham told me her opinion 
of the rights of the thing before I mentioned it. Now I 
have just got time to say a few words more. If there 
should be any discussion about the ownership of this 
gold and the way it ought to be divided, there would be 
trouble and perhaps bloody trouble. There are those 
black fellows coming up here, and two of them speak 
English. Eight of my men went away in a boat, and 
they may come back at any time, and then there were 
those two Cape Cod men, who went off first, they may 
have reached the other side of the mountains and may 
bring us assistance overland. As for Davis, I know he 
will never come back. Maka brought me positive proof 
that he was killed by the Eackbirds. Now, you see my 
point. That treasure is mine. I have a right to it, and 
I stand by that right. There must be no talk as to 
what is to be done with it. I shall decide what is right, 
and I shall do it, and no man shall have a word to say 
about it. In a case like this there must be a head, and I 
am the head.’’ 

The Captain had been speaking rapidly and very ear- 
nestly, but now his manner changed a little. Placing 
his hand on Ealph’s shoulder, he said, “Now don’t be 
afraid, my boy, that you and your sister or Mrs. Cliff will 
be left in the lurch. If there were only us four, there 
would be no trouble at all, but if there is any talk of 
dividing, there may be a lot of men to deal with, and a 
hard lot too. And now, not a word before these men. 
— Maka, that is a fine lot of firewood you have brought. 
It will last us a long time.” 

The African shrugged his shoulders. “ Hope not,” he 
said. “ Hope Mr. Eynders come soon. Don’t want make 
many fires.’' 


“ MINE ! 


91 


As Captain Horn walked away toward Ealph’s look- 
out, lie could not account to himself for the strange and 
unnatural state of his feelings. He ought to have been 
very happy because he had discovered vast treasures. 
Instead of that his mind was troubled and he was anxious 
and fearful. One reason for his state of mind was his 
positive knowledge of the death of Davis. He had 
believed him dead because he had not come back, but 
now that he knew the truth the shock seemed as great as 
if he had not suspected it. He had liked the English- 
man better than any of his seamen, and he was a man he 
would have been glad to have had with him now. The 
Cape Cod men had been with him but a short time, and he 
was not well acquainted with them. It was likely, too, 
that they were dead also, for they had not taken provis- 
ions with them ; but so long as he did not really know 
this the probability could not lower his spirits. 

But when he came to analyze his feelings, which he 
did with the vigorous directness natural to him, he knew 
what was the source of his anxiety and disquietude. He 
actually feared the return of Eynders and his men ! 
This feeling annoyed and troubled him. He felt that it 
was unworthy of him. He knew that he ought to long 
for the arrival of his mate ; for in no other way could the 
party expect help, and if help did not arrive before the 
provisions of the Backbirds were exhausted, the whole 
party would most likely perish. Moreover, when Byn- 
ders and his men came back, they would come to rare 
good fortune, for there was enough gold for all of them. 

But in spite of these reasonable conclusions the 
Captain was afraid that Bynders and his men would 
return. 

^^If they come here,’’ he said to himself, <^they will 


92 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

know of that gold, for I cannot expect to keep such 
fellows out of the cavern, and if they know of it, it will 
be their gold, not mine. I know men, especially those 
men, well enough for that.’’ 

And so, fearing that he might see them before he was 
ready for them, — and how he was going to make himself 
ready for them he did not know, — he stood on the look- 
out and scanned the ocean for Eynders and his men. 


CHAPTER XIV 

A PILE OF FUEL 

Pour days had passed, and nothing had happened. 
The stone mound in the lake had not been visited, for 
there had been no reason for sending the black men 
away, and with one of them nearer than a mile the Cap- 
tain would not even look at his treasure. There was no 
danger that they would discover the mound, for they 
were not allowed to take the lantern, and no one of them 
would care to wander into the dark, sombre depths of 
the cavern without a light. 

The four white people, who, with a fair habitation in 
the rocks, with plenty of plain food to eat, with six ser- 
vants to wait on them, and a climate which was contin- 
uously delightful, except in the middle of the day, and 
with all fear of danger from man or beast removed from 
their minds, would have been content to remain here a 
week or two longer and await the arrival of a vessel to 
take them away, were now in a restless and impatient 
condition of mind. They were all eager to escape from 


A PILE OF FUEL 


93 


the place. Three of them longed for the return of Kyn- 
ders, but the other one steadily hoped that they might 
get away before his men came back. 

How to do this, or how to take with him the treasure 
of the Incas, was a puzzling question with which the 
Captain racked his brains by day and by night. At last 
he bethought himself of the Rackbirds’ vessel. He re- 
membered that Maka had told him that provisions were 
brought to them by a vessel, and there was every reason 
to suppose that when these miscreants went on some of 
their marauding expeditions they travelled by sea. Day 
by day he had thought that he would go and visit the 
Rackbirds^ storehouse and the neighborhood thereabout, 
but day by day he had been afraid that in his absence 
Rynders might arrive, and when he came he wanted to 
be there to meet him. 

But now the idea of the boat made him brave this pos- 
sible contingency, and early one morning, with Cheditafa 
and two other of the black fellows, he set off along the 
beach for the mouth of the little stream which, rising 
somewhere in the mountains, ran down to the cavern 
where it had once widened and deepened into a lake, 
and then through the ravine of the Rackbirds on to the 
sea. When he reached his destination. Captain Horn 
saw a great deal to interest him. 

Just beyond the second ridge of rock which Maka had dis- 
covered, the stream ran into a little bay, and the shores near 
its mouth showed evident signs that they had recently been 
washed by a flood. On points of rock and against the 
sides of the sand mounds, he saw bits of debris from the 
Rackbirds’ camp. Here were sticks which had formed 
the timbers of their huts ; there were pieces of clothing 
and cooking-utensils, and here and there, partly buried 


94 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


by the shifting sands, were seen the bodies of Kackbirds, 
already dessicated by the dry air and the hot sun of the 
region. But the Captain saw no vessel. 

“Dat up here,” said Cheditafa, “dey hide dat well. 
Come long. Captain.” 

Following his black guide, the Captain skirted a little 
promontory of rocks, and behind it found a cove in which, 
well concealed, lay the Eackbirds’ vessel. It was a sloop 
of about twenty tons, and from the ocean, or even from 
the beach, it could not be seen. But as the Captain 
stood and gazed upon this craft his heart sank. It had 
no masts nor sails, and it was a vessel that could not be 
propelled by oars. 

Wading through the shallow water, — for it was now low 
tide, — the Captain climbed on board. The deck was bare, 
without a sign of spar or sail, and when, with Cheditafa’s 
help, he had forced the entrance of the little companion 
way, and had gone below, he found that the vessel had 
been entirely stripped of everything that could be carried 
away, and when he went on deck again he saw that even 
the rudder had been unshipped and removed. Chedi- 
tafa could give him no information upon this state of 
things, but after a little while Captain Horn imagined 
the cause for this dismantled condition of the sloop. 
The Eackbirds’ captain could not trust his men, he said 
to himself, and he made it impossible for any of them to 
escape or set out on an expedition for themselves. It 
was likely that the masts and sails had been carried up 
to the camp, from which place it would have been impos- 
sible to remove them without the leader knowing it. 

When he spoke to Cheditafa on the subject, the negro 
told him that after the little ship came in from one of its 
voyages he and his companions had always carried the 


A PILE OF FUEL 


95 


masts, sails, and a lot of other things up to the camp, but 
there was nothing of the sort there now. Every spar 
and sail must have been carried out to sea by the flood ; 
for if they had been left on the shores of the stream, the 
Captain would have seen them. 

This was hard lines for Captain Horn. If the Rack- 
birds’ vessel had been in sailing condition, everything 
would have been very simple and easy for him. He 
could have taken on board not only his own party, but a 
large portion of the treasure, and could have sailed away 
as free as a bird without reference to the return of 
Rynders and his men. A note tied to a pole set up in a 
conspicuous place on the beach would have informed Mr. 
Rynders of their escape from the place, and it was not 
likely that any of the party would have thought it worth 
while to go further on shore. But it was of no use to 
think of getting away in this vessel. In its present con- 
dition it was absolutely useless. 

While the Captain had been thinking and considering 
the matter, Cheditafa had been wandering about the coast 
exploring. Presently Captain Horn saw him running 
toward him accompanied by the two other negroes. 

^‘’Nother boat over there,” cried Cheditafa, as the Cap- 
tain approached him ; “ ’nother boat, but badder than this. 
Ho good. Cook with it ; that’s all.” 

The Captain followed Cheditafa across the little stream, 
and a hundred yards or so along the shore ; and over out 
of reach of the tide, piled against a low sand mound, he 
saw a quantity of wood all broken into small pieces 
and apparently prepared, as Cheditafa had suggested, for 
cooking-flres. It was also easy to see that these pieces 
of wood had once been part of a boat, perhaps of a wreck 
thrown up on shore. The Captain approached the pile of 


96 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


wood and picked up some of the pieces. As he held in 
his hand a bit of gunwale, not much more than a foot in 
length, his eyes began to glisten and his breath came 
quickly. Hastily pulling out several pieces from the 
mass of debris, he examined them thoroughly. Then he 
stepped back, and let the piece of rudder he was holding 
drop to the sand. 

Cheditafa,” said he, speaking huskily, ^^this is one of 
the ^ Castor’s ’ boats. This is a piece of the boat in which 
Kynders and the men set out.” 

The negro looked at the Captain and seemed fright- 
ened by the expression on his face. For a moment he 
did not speak, and then in a trembling voice he asked, 

Where all them now ? ” 

The Captain shook his head, but said nothing. That 
pile of fragments was telling him a tale which gradually 
became plainer and plainer to him, and which he believed 
as if Kynders himself had been telling it to him. His 
ship’s boat with its eight occupants had never gone 
further south than the mouth of the little stream. That 
they had been driven on shore by the stress of weather 
the Captain did not believe. There had been no high 
winds or storms since their departure. Most likely they 
had been induced to land by seeing some of the Rackbirds 
on shore, and they had naturally rowed into the little cove, 
for assistance from their fellow-beings was what they 
were in search of. But no matter how they happened to 
land, the Rackbirds would never let them go away again 
to carry news of the whereabouts of their camp. Almost 
unarmed, these sailors must have fallen easy victims to 
the Rackbirds. 

It was not unlikely that the men had been shot down 
from ambush without having had any intercourse or con- 


A PILE OF FUEL 


97 


versation witli the cruel monsters to whom they had come 
to seek relief, for had there been any talk between them, 
Eynders would have told of his companions left on shore, 
and these would have been speedily visited by the des- 
peradoes. For the destruction of the boat there was 
reason enough: the captain of the Eackbirds gave his 
men no chance to get away from him. 

With a heart of lead. Captain Horn turned to look at 
his negro companions, and saw them all sitting together 
on the sands, chattering earnestly, and holding up their 
hands with one or more fingers extended as if they were 
counting. Cheditafa came forward. 

When all your men go away from you ? ” he asked. 
The Captain reflected a moment, and then answered. 
About two weeks ago.’’ 

That’s right ! That’s right ! ” exclaimed the negro, 
nodding violently as he spoke ; we talk about that. We 
count days. It’s just ten days and three days, and Eack- 
birds go way and leave us high up in rock-hole with 
no ladder. After a while we hear guns, guns, guns. 
Long time guns shooting. When they come back, it 
almost dark, and they want supper bad. All time they 
eat supper, they talk about shooting sharks. Shot lots 
sharks, and chuck them into the water. Sharks in water 
already before they is shot. We say then it no sharks 
they shot; now we say it must been — ” 

The Captain turned away ; he did not want to hear any 
more. There was no possible escape from the belief that 
Eynders and all his men had been shot down, and robbed, 
if they had anything worth taking, and then their bodies 
carried out to sea, most likely in their own boat, and 
thrown overboard. 

There was nothing more at this dreadful place that 

H 


98 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Captain Horn wished to see, to consider, or to do, and 
calling the negroes to follow him, he set out on his return. 

During the dreary walk along the beach the Captain’s 
depression of spirits was increased by the recollection of 
his thoughts about the sailors and the treasure. He had 
hoped that these men would not come back in time to 
interfere with his disposal, in his own way, of the gold 
he had found. They would not come back now, but the 
thought did not lighten his heart. But before he reached 
the caves, he had determined to throw off the gloom and 
sadness which had come upon him. Under the circum- 
stances, grief for what had happened was out of place ; 
he must keep up a good heart, and help his companions 
keep up good hearts. How he must do something, and 
like a soldier in battle, he must not think of the comrade 
who had fallen beside him, but of the enemy in front of 
him. 

When he reached the caves he found supper ready, 
and that evening he said nothing to his companions of 
the important discoveries he had made, contenting him- 
self with a general statement of the proofs that the Back- 
birds and their camp had been utterly destroyed by the 
flood. 


CHAPTEB XV 

THE CLIFF-MAKA SCHEME 

The next morning Captain Horn arose with a plan of 
action in his mind, and he was now ready, not only to tell 
the two ladies and Balph everything he had discovered, 
but also what he was going to do. The announcement 


THE CLIFF-MAKA SCHEME 


99 


of the almost certain fate of E,ynders and his men filled 
his hearers with horror, and the statement of the Cap- 
tain’s plans did not tend to raise their spirits. 

You see,” said he, there is nothing now for us to 
wait for here. As to being taken off by a passing vessel, 
there is no chance of that whatever. We have gone over 
that matter before. Nor can we get away overland, for 
some of us would die on the way. As to that little boat 
down there, we cannot all go to sea in her, but in it I 
must go out and seek for help.” 

And leave us here ! ” cried Mrs. Cliff. Do not think of 
that. Captain ! Whatever happens, let us all keep together.” 

“ That cannot be,” he said. I must go because I am 
the only seaman among you, and I will take four of those 
black fellows with me. I do not apprehend any danger 
unless we have to make a surf landing, and even then 
they can all swim like fishes, while I am very well able to 
take care of myself in the water. I shall sail down the 
coast until I come to a port and there put in. Then I 
will get a vessel of some sort and come back for you. I 
shall leave with you two of these negroes, Cheditafa, who 
seems to be a highly respectable old person, and can speak 
English, and Mok, who, although he can’t talk to you, can 
understand a great deal that is said to him. Apart from 
his being such an abject coward, he seems to be a good, 
quiet fellow willing to do what he is told. On the whole, 
I think he has the best disposition of the four black dum- 
mies, begging their pardons. I will take the three others 
with Maka as head man and interpreter. If I should be 
cast on shore by a storm, I can swim through the surf to 
the dry land, but I could not undertake to save any one 
else. If this misfortune should happen, we could make 
our way on foot down the coast.” 


LofC. 


100 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 


^^But suppose you should meet some Eackbirds ? ’’ cried 
Ealph. 

“ I have no fear of that/’ answered the Captain. I do 
not believe there is another set of such scoundrels on this 
hemisphere. So, as soon as I can get that boat in order 
and rig up a mast and a sail for her, I shall provision her 
well and set out. Of course I do not want to leave you 
all here, but there is no help for it, and I don’t believe 
you need have the slightest fear of harm. Later, we will 
plan what is to be done by you and by me and get every- 
thing clear and straight. The first thing is to get the 
boat ready, and I shall go to work on that to-day. I will 
also take some of the negroes down to the Eackbirds’ 
camp and bring away more stores.” 

Oh let me go,” cried Ealph. It is the cruellest thing 
in the world to keep me cooped up here. I never go 
anywhere, and never do anything.” 

But the Captain shook his head. “ I am sorry, my boy,” 
said he, to keep you back so much, but it cannot be helped. 
When I go away, I shall make it a positive condition that 
you do not leave your sister and Mrs. Cliff, and I do not 
want you to begin now.” A half-hour afterward, when 
the Captain and his party had set out, Ealph came to his 
sister and sat down by her. 

Do you know,” said he, what I think of Captain 
Horn ? I think he is a brave man, and a man who knows 
what to do when things turn up suddenly, but for all 
that I think he is a tyrant. He does what he pleases, and 
he makes other people do what he pleases, and consults 
nobody.” 

My dear Ealph,” said Edna, if you knew how glad I 
am we have such a man to manage things, you would not 
think in that way. A tyrant is just what we want in our 


THE CLIFP-MAKA SCHEME 


101 


situation, provided he knows what ought to be done, and 
I think that Captain Horn does know.’’ 

That’s just like a woman,” said Ralph ; I might have 
expected it.” 

During the rest of that day and the morning of the 
next, everybody in the camp worked hard and did what 
could be done to help the Captain prepare for his voyage, 
and even Ralph, figuratively speaking, put his hand to 
the oar. 

The boat was provisioned for a long voyage, though 
the Captain hoped to make a short one, and at noon 
he announced that he would set out late that afternoon. 

“It will be flood tide, and I can get away from the 
coast better then than if the tide were coming in.” 

“ How glad I should be to hear you speak in that way,” 
said Mrs. Cliff, “ if we were only going with you. But to 
be left here seems like a death sentence all around. You 
may be lost at sea while we perish on shore.” 

“I do not expect anything of the sort!” exclaimed 
Edna ; “ with Ralph and two men to defend us, we can 
stay here a long time. As for the Captain’s being lost, 
I do not think of it for a moment. He knows how to 
manage a boat too well for that.” 

“I don’t like it at all I I don’t like it at all ! ” exclaimed 
Mrs. Cliff. “ I don’t expect misfortunes any more than 
other people do, but our common sense tells us they may 
come, and we ought to be prepared for them. Of course 
you are a good sailor. Captain ; but if it should happen 
that you should never come back, or even if it should be 
a very long time before you come back, how are we going 
to know what we ought to do ? As far as I know the 
party you leave behind you, we would all be of different 
opinions if any emergency arose. As long as you are 


102 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

with us, I feel that no matter what happens, the right 
thing will be done. But if you are away — ’’ 

At this moment Mrs. Cliff was interrupted by the 
approach of Maka, who wished very much to speak to 
the Captain. As the negro was not a man who would 
be likely to interrupt a conversation except for an im- 
portant reason, the Captain followed him to a little dis- 
tance. There he found to his surprise that although he 
had left one person to speak to another, the subject was 
not changed. 

‘‘Cap’en,^^ said Maka, “when you go Vay, who’s 
boss?” 

The Captain frowned, and yet he could not help feel- 
ing interested in this anxiety regarding his successor. 
“ Why do you ask that ? ” he said. “ What difference 
does it make who gives you your orders when I am 
gone?” 

Maka shook his head. “Big difference,” he said, 
“Cheditafa don’ like boy for boss. He wan’ me tell 
you if boy is boss, he don’ wan’ stay. He wan’ go ’long 
you.” 

“You can tell Cheditafa,” said the Captain, quickly, 
“that if I want him to stay he’ll stay, and if I want him 
to go he’ll go. He has nothing to say about that. So 
much for him. Now what do you think? ” 

“Like boy,” said Maka, “but not for boss.” 

The Captain was silent for a moment. Here was a 
matter which really needed to be settled. If he had felt 
that he had authority to do as he pleased, he would have 
settled it in a moment. 

“Cap’en big man. He know everyting,” said Maka, 
“but when Cap’en go ’way, boy tink he big man. Boy 
know nothin’. Better have woman for boss.” 


THE CLIFF-MAKA SCHEME 


103 


Captain Horn could not help being amused. “ Which 
woman?” he asked. 

say old one; Cheditafa say young one.” 

The Captain was not a man who would readily discuss 
his affairs with any one, especially such a man as Maka; 
but now the circumstances were peculiar, and he wanted 
to know the opinions of these men he was about to leave 
behind him. 

“What made you and Cheditafa think that way?” he 
asked. 

“I tink old one know more,” replied the negro, “and 
Cheditafa tink wife make bes’ boss when Cap^en gone, 
and young one make bes’ wife.” 

“You impertinent black scoundrels!” exclaimed the 
Captain, taking a step toward Maka, who bounced back- 
ward a couple of yards. “ What do you mean by talking 
about Miss Markham and me in that way ! ITl — ” But 
there he paused. It would not be convenient to knock 
the heads off these men at this time. “ Cheditafa must 
be a very great fool,” said he, speaking more quietly; 
“ does he suppose I could call anybody my wife just for 
the sake of giving you two men a boss? ” 

“ Oh, Cheditafa know, ” exclaimed Maka, but without 
coming any nearer the Captain; “he know many, many 
tings, but he Afraid come tell you hisself.” 

“I should think he would be,” replied the Captain, 
“and I wonder you are not afraid, too.” 

“Oh, I is, I is,” said Maka; “I^se all wTte inside. 
But somebody got speak boss Tore he go way. If nobody 
speak, den you go Vay, no boss. All crooked, nobody 
bTong to anybody. Den maybe men come down from 
mountain, or maybe men come in boat, and dey say, 
‘Who’s all you people? Who you b’long to?’ Den 


104 THE AHVENTHRES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


dey say dey don^ belong nobody but demselves. Den 
mos’ like de w’ite ones gets killed for dey clothes and 
dey money. And Cheditafa an’ me, we gets stuck some- 
where to be slaves; but if we say, ‘Dat lady big Cap’en 
Horn’s wife, all de tings and de people b’long to big 
he.’ Hi! Dey men hands off, dey shake in de legs. 
Everybody know big Cap’en Horn.” 

The Captain could not help laughing. “ I believe you 
are as big a fool as Cheditafa,” said he; “don’t you know 
I can’t make a woman my wife just by calling her so?” 

“ Don’ mean dat ! ” exclaimed Maka. “ Cheditafa don’ 
mean dat. He make all right. He priest in he own 
country. He marry people. He marry you ’fore you 
go, all right. He talk ’bout dat mos’ all night, but 
’fraid come tell Cap’en.” 

The absurdity of this statement was so great that it 
made the Captain laugh instead of making him angry, 
but before he could say anything more to Maka, Mrs. 
Cliff approached him. “You must excuse me. Captain,” 
she said, “but really the time is very short, and I have 
a great deal to say to you, and if you have finished jok- 
ing with that colored man, I wish you would talk with 
me.” 

“You will laugh, too,” said the Captain, “when you 
hear what he said to me.” And in a few words he told 
her what Maka had proposed. 

Instead of laughing, Mrs. Cliff stood staring at him in 
silent amazement. 

“I see I have shocked you,” said the Captain; “but 
you must remember that that is only a poor heathen’s 
ignorant vagary. Please say nothing about it, especially 
to Miss Markham.” 

“ Say nothing about it 1 ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff ; “ I wish 


THE CLIFF-MAKA SCHEME 


105 


I had a thousand tongues to talk of it. Captain, do you 
really believe that Cheddy man is a priest, or what goes 
for one in his own country? If he is, he ought to marry 
you and Edna.” 

The Captain frowned, with an air of angry impatience. 
“I could excuse that poor negro, madam,” he said, “when 
he made such a proposition to me, but I must say I did 
not expect anything of the kind from you. Do you 
think, even if we had a bishop with us, that I would 
propose to marry any woman in the world for the sake 
of making her what that fellow called the ‘boss ’ of this 
party ? ” 

It was now Mrs. Cliff’s turn to be impatient. “ That 
boss business is a very small matter,” she replied, 
“ although of course somebody must be head while you 
are gone, and it was about this that I came to see you ; 
but after hearing what that colored man said I want to 
speak of something far more important which I have 
been thinking and thinking about, and to which I could 
see no head or tail until a minute ago. Before I go on 
I want you to answer me this question : If you are lost 
at sea and never come back, what is to become of that 
treasure? It is yours now, as you let us know plainly 
enough, but whose will it be if you should die? It may 
seem like a selfish and sordid thing for me to talk to you 
in this way just before you start on such an expedition, 
but I am a business woman. Since my husband’s death 
I have been obliged to be that, and I look at things with 
a business eye. Have you considered this matter?” 

“Yes, I have,” answered the Captain, “very seri- 
ously.” 

“And so have I,” said Mrs. Cliff. “Whether Edna 
has otf not I don’t know, for she has said nothing to me. 


106 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Now we are not related to you, and of course have no 
claim upon you in that way, but I do think, that as we 
have all suffered together and gone through dangers 
together that we all ought to share, in some degree at 
least, in good things as well as bad ones.” 

‘‘Mrs. Cliff,” said the Captain, speaking very ear- 
nestly, “you need not say anything more on that sub- 
ject. I have taken possession of that treasure and I 
intend to hold it, in order that I may manage things in 
my own way and avoid troublesome disputes. But I 
have not the slightest idea of keeping it all for myself. 
I intend that everybody who has had any concern in this 
expedition to have a share in it. I have thought over 
the matter a great deal, and intended before I left to 
tell you and Miss Markham what I have decided upon. 
Here is a paper I have drawn up 5 it is my will. It is 
written in lead-pencil and may not be legal, but it is the 
best I can do. I have no relatives except a few second- 
cousins somewhere out in the northwest, and I don’t 
want them to have anything to do directly with my prop- 
erty, for they would be sure to make trouble. Here, as 
you see, I leave to you. Miss Markham, and Ralph all 
the property of every kind and description of which I 
may die possessed. This, of course, would cover all 
treasure you may be able to take away from this place, 
and which, without this will, might be claimed by some 
of my distant relatives, if they should ever chance to 
hear the story of my discovery. 

“ Besides this, I have written here on another page of 
this note-book a few private directions as to how I want 
the treasure disposed of. I say nothing definite and 
mention no exact sums, but in a general way I have left 
everything in the hands of you two ladies. I know that 


THE CLIFF-MAKA SCHEME 


107 


you will make a perfectly just and generous disposition 
of what you may get.” 

“That is all very kind and good of you,” said Mrs. 
Cliff, “ but I cannot believe that such a will would be of 
much service. If you have relatives you are afraid of, 
and I see you have, if Edna Markham were your widow, 
then by law she would get a good part of it, even if she 
did not get it all, and if Edna got it, we would be per- 
fectly satisfied.” 

“It is rather a grim business to talk about Miss 
Markham being my widow,” said the Captain, “espe- 
cially under such circumstances. It strikes me that the 
kind of marriage you propose would be a good deal flim- 
sier than this will.” 

“It does not strike me so,” said she. “A mere con- 
fession before witnesses by a man and woman that they 
are willing to take each other for husband and wife is 
often a legal ceremony, and if there is any kind of a 
religious person present to perform the ceremony it 
helps, and in a case like this no stone should be left 
unturned. You see you have assumed a great deal of 
responsibility about this. You have stated — and if we 
were called upon to testify. Miss Markham and I would 
have to acknowledge that you have so stated — that you 
claimed this treasure as your discovery, and that it all 
belonged to you. So you see, if we keep our consciences 
clear, — and no matter what happens we are going to do 
that, — we might be obliged to testify every cent of it 
away from ourselves. But if Edna were your wife, it 
would be all right.” 

The Captain stood silent for a few moments, his hands 
thrust into his pockets and a queer smile on his face. 
“Mrs. Cliff,” said he presently, “do you expect me to 


108 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


go to Miss Markham and gravely propose this scheme 
which you and that half -tamed African have concocted? ” 
think it would be better/^ said Mrs. Cliff, ‘^if I 
were to prepare her mind for it. I will go speak to her 
now.” 

‘‘No,” said he quickly, “don^t you do that. If the 
crazy idea is to be mentioned to her at all, I want to do 
it myself, and in my own way. I will go to her now. 
I have had my talk with you, and I must have one with 
her.” 


CHAPTER XVI 

ON A BUSINESS BASIS 

Captain Horn found Edna at the entrance to the 
caves, busily employed in filling one of the Rackbirds^ 
boxes with ship biscuit. 

“Miss Markham,” said he, “I wish to have a little 
business talk with you before I leave. Where is 
Ralph?” 

“He is down at the boat,” she answered. 

“Very good,” said he; “will you step this way ?” 

When they were seated together in the shade of some 
rocks, he stated to Edna what he had planned in case he 
should lose his life in his intended expedition, and showed 
her the will he had made, and also the directions for 
herself and Mrs. Cliff. Edna listened very attentively, 
occasionally asking for an explanation, but offering no 
opinion. When he had finished, she was about to say 
something, but he interrupted her. 

“Of course I want to know your opinion about all 


ON A BUSINESS BASIS 


109 


this,” he said, “but not yet; I have more to say. There 
has been a business plan proposed by two members of 
our party which concerns me, and when anything is told 
concerning me I want to know how it is told, or, if pos- 
sible, tell it myself.” 

And then, as concisely as possible, he related to her 
Maka’s anxiety in regard to the boss question and his 
method of disposing of the difficulty, and afterwards 
Mrs. Cliff’s anxiety about the property, in case of acci- 
dent to himself, and her method of meeting the contin- 
gency. 

During this recital Edna Markham said not one word. 
To portions of the narrative she listened with an eager 
interest, then her expression became hard, almost stern, 
and finally her cheeks grew red, but whether with anger 
or some other emotion the Captain did not know. When 
he had finished, she looked steadily at him for a few 
moments, and then she said : — 

“ Captain Horn, what you have told me are the plans 
and opinions of . others. It seems to me that you are 
now called upon to say something for yourself.” 

“ I am quite ready to do that, ” he answered. “ A half- 
hour ago I had never thought of such a scheme as I have 
laid before you. When I heard it, I considered it absurd, 
and mentioned it to you only because I was afraid I 
would be misrepresented. But since putting the matter 
to you, even while I have been just now talking, I have 
grown to be entirely in favor of it, but I want you to 
thoroughly understand my views on the subject. If this 
marriage is to be performed, it will be strictly a business 
affair, entered into for the purpose of securing to you 
and others a fortune, large or small, which, without this 
marriage, might be taken from you. In other words,” 


110 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


said he, you are to be looked upon in this affair in the 
light of my prospective widow.” 

For a moment the flush on the face of the young 
woman faded away, but it quickly returned. Apparently 
involuntarily she rose to her feet. Turning to the Cap- 
tain, who also rose, she said : — 

But there is another way in which the affair would 
have to be looked at. Suppose I should not become your 
widow ? Suppose you should not be lost at sea and 
should come back safely ? ” 

The Captain drew a deep breath and folded his arms 
upon his chest. “Miss Markham,” said he, “if this 
marriage should take place, it would be entirely differ- 
ent from other marriages. If I should not return, and 
it should be considered legal, it may make you all rich 
and happy. If it should not hold good, we can only 
think we have done our best, but as to anything beyond 
this, or to any question of my return, or any other ques- 
tion in connection with the matter, our minds should be 
shut and locked. This matter is a business proposition, 
and as such I lay it before you. If we adopt it, we do 
so for certain reasons, and beyond those reasons neither 
of us is qualified to go. We should keep our eyes fixed 
upon the main point and think of nothing else.” 

“ Something else must be looked at,” said Edna; “ it is 
just as likely that you will come back as that you will 
be lost at sea.” 

“This plan is based entirely on the last supposition,” 
replied the Captain; “it has nothing to do with the 
other. If we consider it at all, we must consider it in 
that light.” 

“But we must consider it in the other light,” she 
said. She was now quite pale, and her face had a cer- 
tain sternness about it. 


ON A BUSINESS BASIS 


111 


“I positively refuse to do that/’ he said; will not 
think about it or say one word about it. I will not even 
refer to any future settlement of that question. The 
plan I present rests entirely upon my non-return.” 

^‘But if you do return?” persisted Edna. 

The Captain smiled and shook his head. ‘^You must 
excuse me,” he said, “but I can say nothing about that.” 

She looked steadily at him for a few moments, and 
then she said: “Very well, we will say nothing about it. 
As to the plan which has been devised to give us, in 
case of accident to you, a sound claim to the treasure 
which has been found here, and to a part of which I 
consider I have a right, I consent to it. I do this, be- 
lieving that I should share in the wonderful treasures in 
that cave. I have formed prospects for my future which 
would make my life a thousand times better worth living 
than I ever supposed it would be, and I do not wish to 
interfere with those prospects. I want them to become 
realities. Therefore, I consent to your proposition, and 
I will marry you upon a business basis before you 
leave.” 

“Your hand upon it,” said the Captain; and she gave 
him a hand so cold that it chilled his own. “ And now 
I will go talk to Maka and Cheditafa. Of course we 
both understand that it may be of no advantage to have 
this coal-black heathen act as officiating clergyman, but 
it can do no harm, and we will take the chances. I have 
a good deal to do and no time to lose, if I am to get away 
on the flood tide this afternoon. Will it suit you if I get 
everything ready to start and we then have the cere- 
mony? ” 

“Oh, certainly,” replied Edna; “any spare moment 
will suit me,” 


112 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

When he had gone, Edna Markham sat down on the 
rock again. With her hands clasped in her lap she 
gazed at the sand at her feet. 

“Without a minute to think of it,’’ she said to her- 
self, presently, “without any consideration at all — and 
now it is done! It was not like me. I do not know 
myself. But yes ! ” she exclaimed, speaking so that any 
one near might have heard her, “ I do know myself. I 
said it because I was afraid if I did not say it then I 
should never be able to say it.” 

If Captain Horn could have seen her then, a misty 
light which no man can mistake shining in her eyes as 
she gazed out over everything into nothing, he might not 
have been able to confine his proposition to a strictly 
business basis. 

She sat a little longer, and then she hurried away to 
finish the work on which she had been engaged; but 
when Mrs. Cliff came to look for her, she did not find 
her packing provisions for the Captain’s cruise, but 
sitting alone in one of the inner caves. 

“What! crying!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. “Now, let 
me tell you, my dear child, I do not feel in the least 
like crying. The Captain has told me that everything 
is all right between you, and the more I think of it, the 
more firmly I believe that it is the grandest thing that 
could have happened. For some reason or other, and I 
am sure I cannot tell you why, I do not believe at all 
that the Captain is going to be shipwrecked in that little 
boat. Before this I felt sure we should never see him 
again, but now I haven’t a doubt that he will get some- 
where all right, and that he will come back all right, 
and if he does it will be a grand match. Why, Edna 
child, if Captain Horn never gets away with a stick of 


ON A BUSINESS BASIS 


118 


that gold, it will be a most excellent match. Now, I 
believe in my heart,” she continued, sitting down by 
Edna, “that when you accepted Captain Horn you ex- 
pected him to come back. Now, isn’t that true?” 

At that instant Miss Markham gave a little start. 
“Mrs. Cliff,” she exclaimed, “there is Kalph calling 
me. Won’t you go and tell him all about it. Hurry, 
before he comes in here.” 

When Ralph Markham heard what had happened while 
he was down at the beach, he grew so furiously angry 
that he could not find words in which to express himself. 

“ That Captain Horn, ” he cried, when speech came to 
him, “is the most despotic tyrant on the face of the 
earth. He tells people what they are to do, and they 
simply go and do it. The next thing he will do is to 
tell you to adopt me as a son. Marry Edna ! My sister ! 
And I not know it! And she, just because he asks her, 
must go and marry him. Well, that is just like a 
woman.” 

With savage strides he was about marching back to 
the beach, when Mrs. Cliff stopped him. 

“Now don’t make everybody unhappy, Ralph,” she 
said, “but just listen to me. I want to tell you all about 
this matter.” 

It took about a quarter of an hour to make clear to the 
ruffled mind of Ralph, the powerful, and in Mrs. Cliff’s 
eyes, the imperative, reasons for the sudden and unpre- 
meditated matrimonial arrangements of the morning. 
But before she had finished, the boy grew quieter, and 
there appeared upon his face some expressions of astute 
sagacity. 

“Well,” said he, “when you first put this business to 
me, it was tail-side up, but now you’ve got hea-ds qp, it 


114 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

looks a little different. He will be drowned as like as 
not, and then I suppose we can call our souls our own, 
and if, besides that, we can call a lot of those chunks of 
gold our own, we ought not to grumble. All right; I 
won’t forbid the banns, but between you and me I think 
the whole thing is stuff and nonsense. What ought I 
to call him? Brother Horn?” 

“Now don’t say anything like that, Kalph,” urged 
Mrs. Cliff, “and don’t make yourself disagreeable in 
any way. This is a very serious time for all of us, 
and I am sure that you will not do anything which will 
hurt your sister’s feelings.” 

“Oh, don’t be afraid,” said Kalph; “I’m not going to 
hurt anybody’s feelings. But when I first meet that 
man I hope I may be able to keep him from knowing 
what I think of him.” 

Five minutes later Kalph heard the voice of Captain 
Horn calling him. The voice came from the opening in 
the caves, and instantly Kalph turned and walked toward 
the beach. Again came the voice, louder than before. 
“Kalph, I want you.” The boy stopped, put his hands 
in his pockets, and shrugged his shoulders, then he 
slowly turned. 

“If I were bigger,” he said to himself, “I’d thrash 
him on the spot. Then I’d feel easier in my mind, and 
things could go on as they pleased. But as I am not six 
feet high yet, I suppose I might as well go to see what 
he wants.” 

“Kalph,” said the Captain, as soon as the boy reached 
him, “ I see Mrs. Cliff has been speaking to you, and so 
you know about the arrangements that have been made. 
But I have a great deal to do before I can start, and I 
want you to help me. I am now going to the mound in 


ON A BUSINESS BASIS 


115 


the cave to get out some of that gold, and I don’t want 
anybody but you to go with me. I have just sent all 
the negroes down to the beach to carry things to the 
boat, and we must be quick about our business. You 
take this leather bag. It is Mrs. Cliff’s, but I think it 
is strong enough. The lantern is lighted, so come on.” 

To dive into a treasure mound Ralph would have fol- 
lowed a much more ruthless tyrant than Captain Horn, 
and, although he made no remarks, he went willingly 
enough. When they had climbed the mound and the 
Captain had lifted the stone from the opening in the 
top, Ralph held the lantern, while the Captain, reaching 
down into the interior, set himself to work to fill the 
bag with the golden ingots. As the boy gazed down 
upon the mass of dull gold, his heart swelled within him. 
His feeling of indignant resentment began to disappear 
rapidly before the growing consciousness that he was to 
be the brother-in-law of the owner of all that wealth. 
As soon as the bag was filled the stone was replaced, and 
the two descended from the mound, the Captain care- 
fully holding the heavy bag under his arm, for he feared 
the weight might break the handle. Then extinguishing 
the lantern as soon as they could see their way without 
it, they reached the innermost cave before any of the 
negroes returned. Neither Mrs. Cliff nor Edna was 
there, and the Captain placed his burden behind a piece 
of rock. 

“Captain,” said the boy, his eyes glistening, “there 
must be a fortune in that bag! ” 

The Captain laughed. “Oh no,” said he, “not a very 
large one. I have had a good deal of experience with 
gold in California, and I suppose each one of those little 
bars is worth from two hundred and fifty to three hun- 


116 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

died dollars. What we have represents a good deal of 
money. But now, Ealph, I have something very impor- 
tant to say to you. I am going to appoint you sole 
guardian and keeper of that treasure. You are very 
young to have such a responsibility put upon you, but I 
know you will feel the importance of your duty, and 
that you will not be forgetful or negligent about it. 
The main thing is to keep those two negroes, and any- 
body who may happen to come here, away from that 
mound. Do what you can to prevent any one exploring 
the cave, and donT let the negroes go there for water. 
They now know the way over the rocks to the stream. 

^‘If I should not come back, or a ship should come 
along and take you off before I return, you must all be 
as watchful as cats about that gold. Don’t let anybody 
see a piece of it. You three must carry away with you 
as much as you can, but don’t let any one know you are 
taking it. Of course I expect to come back and attend 
to the whole business, but if I should not be heard from 
for a long time, — and if that is the case, you may be sure 
I am lost, — and you should get away, I will trust to 
your sister and you to get up an expedition to come back 
for it.” 

Ealph drew himself up as high as circumstances would 
permit. ^‘Captain,” said he, ‘‘you may count on me. 
I’ll keep an eye on those black fellows, and on anybody 
else who may come here.” 

“Very good,” said the Captain; “I am sure you will 
never forget that you are the guardian of all our for- 
tunes.” 


“A FINE THINO, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS** 117 


CHAPTER XVII 

“a pine thing, no matter what happens’^ 

After the noon-day meal on the day of Captain 
Horn’s departure, Mrs. Cliff went apart with Maka and 
Cheditafa and there endeavored to find out, as best she 
might, the ideas and methods of the latter in regard to 
the matrimonial service. In spite of the combined efforts 
of the two, with their limited command of English to 
make her understand how these things were done in the 
forests and wilds of the dark continent, she could not 
decide whether the forms of the Episcopal church, those 
of the Baptists or those of the Quakers, could be more 
easily assimilated with the previous notions of Cheditafa 
on the subject. But having been married herself, she 
thought she knew very well what was needed, and so 
without endeavoring to persuade the negro priest that his 
opinions regarding the marriage rites were all wrong, 
or to make him understand what sort of a wedding she 
would have had if they had all been in their own land, 
she endeavored to impress upon his mind the forms and 
phrases of a very simple ceremony, which she believed 
would embody all that was necessary. 

Cheditafa was a man of considerable intelligence, and 
the feeling that he was about to perform such an impor- 
tant ceremony for the benefit of such a great man as 
Captain Horn, filled his soul with pride and a strong 
desire to acquit himself creditably in this honorable 
function, and he was able before very long to satisfy 
Mrs. Cliff that, with Maka’s assistance as prompting 
clerk, he might be trusted to go through the ceremony 
without serious mistake. 


118 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


She was strongly of the opinion that if she conducted 
the marriage ceremony, it would be far better in every 
way than such a performance by a coal-black heathen ; 
but as she knew that her offices would not count for any- 
thing in a civilized world, whereas the heathen ministry 
might be considered satisfactory, she accepted the situa- 
tion and kept her opinions to herself. 

The wedding took place about six o’clock in the after- 
noon on the plateau in front of the great stone face, at 
a spot where the projecting rocks cast a shade upon the 
heated ground. Cheditafa, attired in the best suit of 
clothes which could be made up from contributions from 
all his fellow-countrymen present, stood on the edge of 
the line of shadow, his hands clasped, his head slightly 
bowed, his bright eyes glancing from side to side, and 
his face filled with an expression of anxiety to observe 
everything and make no mistakes. Maka stood near 
him, and behind the two, in the brilliant sunlight, were 
grouped the other negroes, all very attentive and solemn, 
looking a little frightened, as if they were not quite sure 
that sacrifices were not customary on such occasions. 

Captain Horn stood, tall and erect, his jacket a little 
torn, but with an air of earnest dignity upon his hand- 
some, sunburned features, which, with his full dark beard 
and rather long hair, gave him the appearance of an old- 
time chieftain about to embark upon some momentous 
enterprise. By his side was Edna Markham, pale, and 
dressed in the simple gown in which she had left the 
ship, but as beautiful in the eyes of Mrs. Cliff as if 
she had been arrayed in orange blossoms and white 
satin. 

Keverently the two answered the simple questions 
which were put to them and made the necessary prom- 


“A FINE THING, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS*’ 119 

ises, and slowly and carefully and in very good English, 
Cheditafa pronounced them man and wife. Mrs. Cliff 
then produced a marriage certificate, written, as nearly 
as she could remember, in the words of her own docu- 
ment of that nature, with a pencil, on a leaf torn from the 
Captain’s note-book, and to this she signed Cheditafa’s 
name, to which the African, under her directions, affixed 
his mark. Then Kalph and Mrs. Cliff signed as witnesses, 
and the certificate was delivered to Edna. 

^^Now,” said the Captain, “ I will go aboard.” 

The whole party, Edna and the Captain a little in the 
lead, walked down to the beach where the boat lay, ready 
to be launched. During the short walk Captain Horn 
talked rapidly and earnestly to Edna, confining his re- 
marks, however, to directions and advice as to what 
should be done until he returned, or, still more important, 
as to what should be done if he did not return at all. 

When they reached the beach, the Captain shook hands 
with Edna, Mrs. Cliff, and Ralph, and then, turning to 
Cheditafa, he informed him that that lady, pointing to 
Edna, was now the mistress of himself and Mok, and 
that every word of command she gave them must be 
obeyed exactly as if he had given it to them himself. 
He was shortly coming back, he said, and when he saw 
them again their reward should depend entirely upon the 
reports he should receive of their conduct. 

“ But I know,” said he, “ that you are a good man, and 
that I can trust you, and I will hold you responsible for 
Mok.” 

This was the end of the leave-taking. The Captain 
stepped into his boat and took the oars. Then the four 
negroes, two on a side, ran out the little craft as far as 
possible through the surf, and then, when they had 


120 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

scrambled on board, the Captain pulled out into smooth, 
water. 

Hoisting his little sail and seating himself in the stern 
with the tiller in his hand, he brought the boat round to 
the wind. Once he turned toward shore and waved his 
hat, and then he sailed away toward the western sky. 

Mrs. Cliff and Ralph walked together toward the caves, 
leaving Edna alone upon the beach. 

“Well,’^ said Ralph, ^^this is the first wedding I ever 
saw, but I must say it is rather different from my idea of 
that sort of thing. I thought that people always kissed 
at such affairs and there was general jollification and 
cake, but this seemed more like a new-fangled funeral, 
with the dear departed acting as his own Charon and 
steering himself across the Styx.’’ 

He might have kissed her,” said Mrs. Cliff, thought- 
fully; ^^but you see, Ralph, everything had to be very 
different from ordinary weddings. It was a very pecul- 
iar case.” 

I should hope so,” said the boy ; the uncommoner, 
the better. In fact, I shouldn’t call it a wedding at all. 
It seemed more like taking a first degree in widowhood.” 

Ralph,” said Mrs. Cliff, “ that is horrible. Don’t you 
ever say anything like that again. I hope you are not 
going to distress your sister with such remarks.” 

You need not say anything about Edna,” he exclaimed. 
^‘1 shall not worry her with any criticisms of the per- 
formance. The fact is, she will need cheering up, and if 
I can do it I will. She’s captain now, and I’ll stand up 
for her like a good fellow.” 

Edna stood on the beach, gazing out on the ocean illu- 
minated by the rays of the setting sun, keeping her eyes 
fixed on the Captain’s boat until it became a mere speck. 


MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 


121 


Then, when it had vanished entirely among the lights and 
shades of the evening sea, she still stood a little while and 
watched. Then she turned and slowly walked up to the 
plateau. Everything there was just as she had known it 
for weeks ; the great stone face seemed to smile in the 
last rays of the setting sun ; Mrs. Cliff came to meet her, 
her face glowing with smiles, and Ralph threw his arms 
around her neck and kissed her, without, however, saying 
a word about that sort of thing having been omitted in 
the ceremony of the afternoon. 

My dear Edna,” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, “ from the bot- 
tom of my heart I congratulate you ! No matter how we 
look at it, a rare piece of good fortune has come to you.” 

Edna gazed at her for a moment and then she answered 
quietly, ^^Oh yes, it was a fine thing, no matter what 
happens. If he does not come back, I shall make a bold 
stroke for widowhood, and if he does come back he is 
bound, after all this, to give me a good share of that 
treasure. So you see we have done the best we can do 
to be rich and happy if we are not so unlucky as to perish 
among these rocks and sand.” 

^^She is almost as horrible as Ralph,” thought Mrs. 
Cliff, ^^but she will get over it.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 

MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 

After the Captain set sail in his little boat, the party 
which he left behind him lived on in an uneventful, 
uninteresting manner, which, gradually, day by day, 
threw a shadow over the spirits of each one of them. 


122 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Ralph, who always slept in the outer chamber of the 
caves, had been a very faithful guardian of the Captain’s 
treasure. No one, not even himself, had gone near it, 
and he never went up to the rocky promontory on which 
he had raised his signal pole without knowing that the 
two negroes were at a distance from the caves, or within 
his sight. 

For a day or two after the Captain’s departure Edna 
was very quiet, with a fancy for going off by herself, but 
she soon threw off this dangerous disposition and took 
up her old profession of teacher, with Ralph as the 
scholar, and mathematics as the study. They had no 
books nor even paper, but the rules and principles of her 
specialty were fresh in her mind, and with a pointed 
stick on a smooth stretch of sand, diagrams were drawn 
and problems worked out. 

This occupation was a most excellent thing for Edna 
and her brother, but it did not help Mrs. Cliff to endure 
with patience the weary days of waiting. She had noth- 
ing to read, nothing to do, very often no one to talk to, 
and she would probably have fallen into a state of ner- 
vous melancholy had not Edna persuaded her to devote 
an hour or two each day to missionary work with Mok 
and Cheditafa. This Mrs. Cliff cheerfully undertook. 
She was a conscientious woman, and her methods of teach- 
ing were peculiar. She had an earnest desire to do the 
greatest amount of good with these poor ignorant negroes, 
but at the same time she did not wish to do injury to any 
one else. The conviction forced itself upon her that if 
she absolutely converted Cheditafa from the errors of his 
native religion, she might in some way invalidate the 
marriage ceremony which he had performed. 

If he should truly come to believe,” she said to her- 


MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 


123 


self, “that he had no right to marry the Captain and 
Edna, his conscience might make him go back on the 
whole business, and everything that we have done would 
be undone. I don’t want him to remain a heathen any 
longer than it can possibly be helped, but I must be care- 
ful not to set his priesthood entirely aside until Edna’s 
position is fixed and settled. When the Captain comes 
back, and we all get home, they must be married regu- 
larly; but if he never comes back, then I must try to 
make Cheditafa understand that the marriage is just as 
binding as any other kind, and that any change of relig- 
ious opinion that he may undergo would have no effect 
upon it.” 

Accordingly, while she confined her religious teachings 
to very general principles, her moral teachings were 
founded upon the strictest code, and included cleanliness 
and all the household virtues, not excepting the proper 
care of such garments as an indigent human being in a 
tropical climate might happen to possess. 

In spite, however, of this occupation, Mrs. Cliff’s spirits 
were not buoyant. “ I believe,” she thought, “ things 
would have been more cheerful if they had not married ; 
but then, of course, we ought to be willing to sacrifice 
cheerfulness at present to future prosperity.” 

It was more than a month after the departure of the 
Captain that Ralph, from his point of observation, per- 
ceived a sail upon the horizon. He had seen sails there 
before, but they never grew any larger, and generally 
soon disappeared; for it would lengthen the course of 
any coasting vessel to approach this shore. But the sail 
that Ralph saw now grew larger and larger, and, with 
the aid of his little spy-glass, it was not long before he 
made up his mind that it was coming toward him. Then 


124 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

up went his signal flag, and, with a loud hurrah, down 
went he to shout out the glad news. 

Twenty minutes later it was evident to the anxiously 
peering eyes of every one of the party that the ship was 
actually approaching the shore, and in the heart of each 
one of them there was a bounding delight in the feeling 
that after all these days of weary waiting the Captain 
was coming back. 

As the ship drew nearer and nearer, she showed her- 
self to be a large vessel — a handsome barque. About 
half a mile from the shore she lay to, and very soon a 
boat was lowered. 

Edna’s heart beat rapidly, and her face flushed as, with 
Ralph’s spy-glass to her eyes, she scanned the people in 
the boat as it pulled away from the ship. 

Can you make out the Captain ? ” cried Ralph, at her 
side. 

She shook her head, and handed him the glass. For 
full five minutes the boy peered through it, and then he 
lowered the glass. 

Edna,” said he, “ he isn’t in it.” 

“ What ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, “ do you mean to say 
that the Captain is not in that boat ? ” 

‘‘ I am sure of it,” said Ralph ; and if he isn’t in the 
boat, of course he is not on the ship. Perhaps he did 
not have anything to do with that vessel’s coming here. 
It may have been tacking in this direction, and so come 
near enough for people to see my signal.” 

Don’t suppose things,” said Edna, a little sharply; 

wait until the boat comes in, and then we will know 
all about it. Here, Cheditafa,” said she, you and Mok 
go out into the water, and help run that boat ashore as 
soon as it is near enough.” 


MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 


126 


It was a large boat containing five men, and when it 
had been run up on the sand and its occupants had 
stepped out, the man at the tiller, who proved to be the 
second mate of the barque, came forward and touched 
his hat. As he did so, no sensible person could have 
imagined that he had accidentally discovered them ; his 
manner plainly showed that he had expected to find 
them there. The conviction that this was so made the 
blood run cold in Edna’s veins. Why had not the 
Captain come himself ? 

The man in command of the boat advanced toward the 
two ladies, looking from one to the other as he did so. 
Then taking a letter from the pocket of his jacket he 
presented it to Edna. 

Mrs. Horn, I believe,” he said. Here is a letter 
from your husband.” 

How it so happened that to Mrs. Cliff, to Edna, and 
to Ralph, this recognition of matrimonial status seemed 
to possess more force and value than the marriage cere- 
mony itself. 

Edna’s face grew as red as roses as she took the letter. 

‘^Erom my husband,” she said; and then, without 
further remark, she stepped aside to read it. 

But Mrs. Cliff and Ralph could not wait for the read- 
ing of the letter. They closed upon the mate, and each 
speaking at the same moment, demanded of him what 
had happened to Captain Horn, why he had not come 
himself, where he was now, was this ship to take them 
away, and a dozen similar questions. The good mariner 
smiled at their impatience, but could not wonder at it, 
and proceeded to tell them all he knew about Captain 
Horn and his plans. 

The Captain, he said, had arrived at Callao some time 


126 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


since and immediately endeavored to get a vessel in 
which to go after the party he had left, but was unable 
to do so. There was nothing in port which answered 
his purpose. The Captain seemed to be very particular 
about the craft in which he would be willing to trust his 
wife and the rest of the party. 

^^And after having seen Mrs. Horn,” the mate po- 
litely added, and you two, I don’t wonder he was par- 
ticular. When Captain Horn found that the barque out 
there, the ^Mary Bartlett,’ would sail in a week for 
Acapulco, Mexico, he induced the agents of the company 
owning her to allow her to stop to take off the ship- 
wrecked party and carry them to that port, from which 
they could easily get to the United States.” 

^^But why, in the name of common sense,” almost 
screamed Mrs. Cliff, didn’t he come himself? Why 
should he stay behind and send a ship to take us off ? ” 

“That, madam,” said the mate, “I do not know. I 
have met Captain Horn before, for he is well known on 
this coast, and I know he is a man who understands how 
to attend to his own business, and, therefore, I suppose 
he has good reasons for what he has done ; which reasons, 
no doubt, he has mentioned in his letter to his wife. All 
I can tell you is, that after he had had a good deal of 
trouble with the agents, we were at last ordered to touch 
here. He could not give us the exact latitude and longi- 
tude of this spot, but as his boat kept on a straight west- 
ward course after he left here, he got a good idea of the 
latitude from the Mexican brig which he boarded three 
days afterwards. Then he gave us a plan of the coast, 
which helped us very much, and soon after we got within 
sight of land, our lookout spied that signal you put up. 
So here we are ; and I have orders to take you all off just 


MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 


127 


as soon as possible, for we must not lie here a minute 
longer than is necessary. I do not suppose that, under 
the circumstances, you have much baggage to take away 
with you, and I shall have to ask you to get ready to 
leave as soon as you can.” 

All right,” cried Kalph ; it won’t take us long to get 
ready.” 

But Mrs. Cliff answered never a word. In fact, the 
injunction to prepare to leave had fallen unheeded upon 
her ear. Her mind was completely occupied entirely with 
one question : why did not the Captain come himself ? 

She hastened to Edna, who had finished reading the 
letter and now stood silent, holding it in her hand. 

What does he say ? ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, “ what 
are his reasons for staying away ? What does he tell 
you about his plans ? Read us the letter — you can 
leave out all the loving and confidential parts — but 
give us his explanations. I never was so anxious to 
know anything in all my life.” 

I will read you the whole of it,” said Edna ; here, 
Ralph.” 

Her brother came running up. “That man is in an 
awful hurry to get away,” he said ; “ we ought to go up 
to the caves and get our things.” 

“Stay just where you are,” said Mrs. Cliff; “before we 
do anything else we must know what Captain Horn 
intends to do and what he wants us to do.” 

“That’s so!” cried Ralph, suddenly remembering his 
guardianship. “ We ought to know what he says about 
leaving that mound. Read away, Edna.” 

The three stood at some little distance from the sailors, 
who were now talking with Cheditafa, and Edna read 
the letter aloud. 


128 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“ Lima, May 14, 1884. 

Dear Wife : 

I reached this city about ten days ago. When I left 
you all I did not sail down the coast, but stood directly 
out to sea. My object was to reach a shipping port, and 
to do this my best plan was to get into the track of coast- 
ing vessels. This plan worked well, and in three days we 
were picked up by a Mexican guano brig, and were taken 
to Callao, which is the port of Lima. We all arrived in 
good health and condition. 

“This letter will be brought to you by the barque 
^Mary Bartlett,’ which vessel I have engaged to stop 
for you, and take you and the whole party to Acapulco, 
which is the port of the City of Mexico, from which 
place I advise you to go as soon as possible to San Fran- 
cisco. I have paid the passage of all of you to Acapulco, 
and I enclose a draft for one thousand dollars for your 
expenses. I would advise you to go to the Palmetto 
Hotel, which is a good family house, and I will write to 
you there and send another draft. In fact, I expect you 
will find my letter when you arrive, for the mail steamer 
will probably reach San Francisco before you do. Please 
write to me as soon as you get there, and address me 
here, care of Nasco, Parmley & Co.” 

An exclamation of impatience here escaped from Mrs. 
Cliff. In her opinion, the reasons for the non-appearance 
of the Captain should have been the first thing in the letter. 

“When I reached Lima, which is six miles from 
Callao,” the letter continued, “ I disposed of some of the 
property I brought with me, and expect to sell it all before 
long. Being known as a Californian, I find no difficulty 
in disposing of my property, which is in demand here, 


MRS. CLIFF IS AMAZED 


129 


and in a very short time I shall have turned the whole of 
it into drafts or cash. There is a vessel expected here 
shortly which I shall be able to charter, and as soon as I 
can do so I shall sail in her to attend to the disposition of 
the rest of my property. I shall write as frequently as 
possible, and keep you informed of my operations. 

Of course you understand that I could not go on the 
‘Mary Bartlett’ to join you and accompany you to 
Acapulco, for that would have involved too great a loss 
of time. My business must be attended to without delay, 
and I can get the vessel I want here. 

“ The people of the ‘ Mary Bartlett ’ will not want to 
wait any longer than can be helped, so you would all 
better get your baggage together as soon as possible and 
go on board. The two negroes will bring down your bag- 
gage, so there will be no need for any of the sailors to go 
up to the caves. Tell Ralph not to forget the charge I 
gave him if they do go up. When you have taken away 
your clothes, you can leave just as they are the cooking- 
utensils, the blankets, and everything else. I will write 
to you much more fully by mail. Cannot do so now. I 
hope you may all have a quick and safe voyage, and 
that I may hear from you immediately after you reach 
Acapulco. I hope most earnestly that you have all kept 
well, and that no misfortune has happened to any of you. 
I shall wait with anxiety your letter from Acapulco. Let 
Ralph write and make his report. I will ask you to stay 
in San Rrancisco until more letters have passed and plans 
are arranged. Until further notice, please give Mrs. Cliff 
one-fourth of all moneys I send. I cannot insist, of 
course, upon her staying in San Francisco, but I would 
advise her to do so until things are more settled. 

“ In haste, your husband, 

K “Philip Horn.” 


130 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


^^Upon my word!” ejaculated Mrs. Cliff, ^^a most re- 
markable letter I It might have been written to a clerk ! 
No one would suppose it the first letter of a man to his 
bride 1 Excuse me, Edna, for speaking so plainly, but I 
must say I am shocked. He is very particular to call 
you his wife and say he is your husband, and in that 
way he makes the letter a valuable piece of testimony if 
he never turns up, but — well, no matter.” 

He is mighty careful,” said Kalph, not to say any- 
thing about the gold. He speaks of his property as if it 
might be Panama stock or something like that. He is 
awfully wary.” 

You see,” said Edna, speaking in a low voice, ^^this 
letter was sent by private hands and by people who were 
coming to the spot where his property is, and of course 
it would not do to say anything that would give any hint 
of the treasure here. When he writes by mail, he can 
speak more plainly.” 

I hope he may speak more plainly in another way,” 
said Mrs. Cliff, and now let us go up and get our things 
together. I am a good deal more amazed by the letter than 
I was by the ship.” 


CHAPTER XIX 

LEFT BEHIND 

Ralph,” said Edna, as they were hurrying up to the 
caves, ^‘you must do everything you can to keep those 
sailors from wandering into the lake basin. They are 
very different from the negroes, and will want to explore 
every part of it.” 


LEFT BEHIND 


131 


Oh, I have thought of all that,’’ said Ealph, and I 
am now going to run ahead and smash the lantern. They 
won’t be so likely to go poking around in the dark.” 

But they may have candles or matches,” said Edna ; 
we must try to keep them out of the big cave.” 

Ealph did not stop to answ^er, but ran as fast as his 
legs would carry him to the plateau. The rest of the 
party followed, Edna first, then the negroes, and after 
them Mrs. Cliff, who could not imagine why Edna should 
be in such a hurry. The sailors, having secured their 
boat, came straggling after the rest. 

When Edna reached the entrance to the caves she was 
met by her brother, so much out of breath that he could 
hardly speak. 

You needn’t go to your room, to get your things,” he 
exclaimed ; I have gathered them all up, your bag, too, and 
I have tumbled them over the wall in the entrance back 
here. You must get over as quick as you can. That will 
be your room now ; and I will tell the sailors, if they go 
poking around, that you are in there, getting ready to leave ; 
and then, of course, they can’t pass along the passage.” 

That is a fine idea,” said Edna, as she followed him. 
You are getting very sharp-witted, Ealph.” 

Now then,” said he, as he helped her over the wall, 
^Hake just as long as you can to get your things ready.” 

It can’t take me very long,” said Edna. I have no 
clothes to change, and only a few things to put in my 
bag. I don’t believe you have got them all, anyway.” 
^^But you must make it take a long time,” said he; 
you must not get through until every sailor has gone. 
You and I must be the last ones to leave the caves.” 

^^All right,” said Edna, as she disappeared behind the 
wall. 


132 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


When Mrs. Cliff arrived, she was met by Ealph, who 
explained the state of affairs, and although that lady 
was a good deal annoyed at the scattered condition in 
which she found her effects, she accepted the situation. 

The mate and his men were much interested in the 
caves and the great stone face, and, as might have been 
expected, every one of them wanted to know where the 
narrow passage led to, but as Ealph was on hand to 
inform them that it was the entrance to Mrs. Horn’s 
apartment, they could do no more than look along its 
dusky length and perhaps wonder why Mrs. Horn should 
have selected a cave which must be dark when there 
were others which were well lighted. 

Mrs. Cliff was soon ready, and explained to the inquir- 
ing mate her notion that these caves were used for relig- 
ious purposes and that the stone face was an ancient idol. 
In fact, the good lady believed this, but she did not state 
that she thought it likely that the sculptured countenance 
was a sort of a cashier idol, whose duty it was to protect 
treasure. 

Edna, behind the stone barrier, had put her things in 
her bag, though she was not sure she had found all of 
them in the gloom, and she waited a long time, so it 
seemed to her, for Ealph’s summons to come forth. But 
although the boy came to the wall several times, osten- 
sibly to ask if she were not ready, yet he really told her 
to stay where she was, for the sailors were not yet gone. 
But at last he came with the welcome news that every one 
had departed, and they soon came out into the daylight. 

“ If anything is lost, charge it to me,” said Ealph to 
Mrs. Cliff and his sister, as they hurried away. I can 
tell you if I had not thought of that way of keeping 
those sailors out of the passage, they would have swarmed 


LEFT BEHIND 


133 


over that lake bed, each one of them with a box of 
matches in his pocket ; and if they had found that mound, 
I wouldn’t give two cents for the gold they would have 
left in it. It wouldn’t have been of any use to tell them 
it was the Captain’s property. They would have been 
there, and he wasn’t, and I expect the mate would have 
been as bad as any of them.” 

“ You are a good fellow, Ralph,” said Mrs. Cliff, “ and 
I hope you will grow up to be an administrator or some- 
thing of the kind. I don’t suppose there was ever 
another boy in the world who had so much wealth in 
charge.” 

You can’t imagine,” exclaimed Ralph, how I hate 
to go away and leave it ! There is no knowing when the 
Captain will get here, nor who will drop in on the place 
before he does. I tell you, Edna, I believe it would be 
a good plan for me to stay here with those two black fel- 
lows and wait for the Captain. You two could go 
on the ship and write to him. I am sure he would be 
glad to know I am keeping guard here, and I don’t know 
any better fun than to be on hand when he unearths the 
treasure. There’s no knowing what is at the bottom of 
that mound.” 

Nonsense ! ” exclaimed Edna. You can put that idea 
out of your head instantly. I would not think of going 
away and leaving you here. If the Captain had wanted 
you to stay, he would have said so.” 

If the Captain wanted ! ” sarcastically exclaimed 
Ralph. I am tired of hearing what the Captain wants ; 
I hope the time will soon come when those yellow bars 
of gold will be divided up, and then I can do what I like 
without considering what he likes.” 

Mrs. Cliff could not help a sigh. Dear me,” said she, 


134 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

I do most earnestly hope that time may come, but we 
are leaving it all behind ns, and whether we will ever 
hear of it again nobody knows.’’ 

One hour after this. Edna and Mrs. Cliff were stand- 
ing on the deck of the “Mary Bartlett,” watching the 
plateau of the great stone face as it slowly sank into the 
horizon. 

“ Edna,” said the elder lady, “ I have liked you ever 
since I have known you, and I expect to like you as long 
as I live, but I must say that for an intelligent person 
you have the most colorless character I have ever seen. 
Whatever comes to pass, you receive it as quietly and 
calmly as if it were just what you expected and what you 
happened to want, and yet as long as I have known you 
you have not had anything you wanted.” 

“You are mistaken there,” said Edna; “I have got 
something I want.” 

“ And what may that be ? ” asked the other. 

“ Captain Horn,” said Edna. 

Mrs. Cliff laughed a little scornfully. “ If you are ever 
going to get any color out of your possession of him,” she 
said, “ he’s got to very much change the style of his letter- 
writing. He has given you his name and some of his 
money, and may give you more, but I must say I am 
very much disappointed in Captain Horn.” 

Edna turned suddenly upon her companion. “ Color ! ” 
she exclaimed, but she did not finish her remark, for 
Ealph came running aft. 

“A queer thing has happened,” said he; “a sailor is 
missing, and he is one of the men who went on shore 
for us. They don’t know what’s become of him, for the 
mate is sure he brought all his men back with him, and 
so am I, for I counted them to see that there were no 


LEFT BEHIND 


135 


stragglers left, and all the people who were in that 
boat came on board. They think he may have fallen 
overboard after the ship sailed, but nobody heard a 
splash.’’ 

“ Poor fellow ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, “ and he was one 
of those who came to save us ! ” 

At this moment, a wet and bedraggled sailor, almost 
exhausted with a swim of nearly a mile, staggered upon 
the beach and fell down upon the sand near the spot 
from which the ‘^Mary Bartlett’s” boat had recently 
been pushed off. When, an hour before, he had slipped 
down the side of the ship, he had swum under water as long 
as his breath held out, and had dived again as soon as he 
had filled his lungs. Then he had floated on his back, pad- 
dling along with little but his face above the surface of 
the waves, until he had thought it safe to turn over and 
strike out for land. It had been a long pull, and the surf 
had treated him badly, but he was safe on shore at last, 
and in a few minutes he was sound asleep, stretched upon 
the sand. 

Toward the end of the afternoon he awoke and rose to his 
feet. The warm sand, the desiccating air, and the sun had 
dried his clothes, and his nap had refreshed him. He was 
a sharp-faced, quick-eyed man, a Scotchman, and the first 
thing he did was to shade his face with his hands and 
look out over the sea. Then he turned with a shrug of 
his shoulders, and a grunt. 

‘‘She’s gone,” said he, “and I will be up to them 
caves.” After a dozen steps he gave another shrug. 
“ Humph ! ” said he, “ those fools ! Ho they think every- 
body is blind? They left victuals, they left cooking- 
things. Blasted careful they were to leave matches and 
candles in a tin box. I watched them. If everybody 


136 THE AHVENTITKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

else was blind, I kenned they expected somebody was 
cornin’ back. That Captain, that blasted Captain, I’ll 
wager ! Wi’ sae much business on his hands, he couldna 
sail wi’ us to show us where his wife was stranded ! ” 

For fifty yards more he plodded along, looking from 
side to side at the rocks and sand. 

A dreary place and lonely,” thought he, and I can 
peer out things at me ease. I’ll find out what’s at the 
end o’ that dark alley. They were so fearsome that we’d 
go into her room. Her room, indeed ! When the other 
woman had a big lighted cave ! They expected somebody 
to come back, did they? Well, blast their eyes, he’s 
here ! ” 


CHAPTEK XX 

AT THE RACKBIRDS’ COVE 

It was about six weeks after the “ Mary Bartlett ” had 
sail^ away from that desolate spot on the coast of Peru 
from which she had taken the shipwrecked party that 
the great stone face might have seen, if its wide-open 
eyes had been capable of vision, a small schooner beating 
in toward shore. This vessel, which was manned by a 
Chilian captain, a mate, and four men, and was a some- 
what dirty and altogether disagreeable craft, carried Cap- 
tain Horn, his four negroes, and three hundred and thirty 
bags of guano. 

In good truth the Captain was coming back to get the 
gold, or as much of it as he could take away with him. 
But his apparent purpose was to establish on this desert 
coast a depot for which he would have nothing to pay for 


AT THE RACKBIRDS’ COVE 


137 


rent and storage and where he would be able to deposit 
from time to time such guano as he had been able to pur- 
chase at a bargain at two of the guano islands until he 
should have enough to make it worth while for a large 
vessel, trading with the United States or Mexico, to touch 
here and take on board his accumulated stock of odorous 
merchandise. 

It would be difficult — in fact, almost impossible — to 
land a cargo at the point near the caves where the Cap- 
tain and his party first ran their boats ashore, nor did the 
Captain in the least desire to establish his depot at a 
point so dangerously near the golden object of his under- 
taking. But the little bay which had been the harbor of 
the Backbirds exactly suited his purpose, and here it was 
that he intended to land his bags of guano. He had 
brought with him on the vessel suitable timber with 
which to. build a small pier, and he carried also a lighter 
or a big scow in which the cargo would be conveyed from 
the anchored schooner to the pier. 

It seemed quite evident that the Captain intended to 
establish himself in a somewhat permanent manner as a 
trader in guano. He had brought with him a small tent 
and a good stock of provisions, and, from the way he went 
to work and set his men to work, it was easy to see that 
he had thoroughly planned and arranged all the details 
of his enterprise. 

It was nearly dark when the schooner dropped her 
anchor, and early the next morning all available hands 
were set to work to build the pier, and when it was fin- 
ished the landing of the cargo was immediately begun. 
Some of the sailors wandered about a little when they 
had odd moments to spare, but they had seen such dreary 
coasts before, and would rather rest than ramble. But 


138 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

wlierever they did happen to go, not one of them ever got 
away from the eye of Captain Horn. 

The negroes evinced no desire to visit the cave, and 
Maka had been ordered by the Captain to say nothing 
about it to the sailors. There was no difficulty in obeying 
this order ; for these rough fellows, as much landsmen as 
mariners, had a great contempt for the black men and 
had little to do with them. As Captain Horn informed 
Maka, he had heard from his friends, who had arrived in 
safety at Acapulco, therefore there was no need for wast- 
ing time in visiting their old habitation. 

In that dry and rainless region a roof to cover the 
Captain’s stock in trade was not necessary, and the bags 
were placed upon a level spot on the sands in long double 
rows, each bag on end, gently leaning against its opposite 
neighbor, and between the double rows there was room to 
walk. 

The Chilian captain was greatly pleased with this 
arrangement. “I see well,” said he, in bad Spanish, 
^^that this business is not new to you. A ship’s crew 
can land and carry away these bags without tumbling 
over each other. It is a grand thing to have a store- 
house with a floor as wide as many acres.” 

A portion of the bags, however, were arranged in a dif- 
ferent manner. They were placed in a circle two bags 
deep, enclosing a space about ten feet in diameter. This, 
Captain Horn explained, he intended as a sort of little 
fort, in which the man left in charge could defend him- 
self and the property in case marauders should land upon 
the coast. 

^^You don’t intend,” exclaimed the Chilian captain, 
‘^that you will leave a guard here! Nobody would have 
cause to come near the spot from either land or sea, and 


AT THE RACKBIRDS’ COVE 


139 


you miglit well leave your guano here for a year or more 
and come back and find it.’’ 

^^No,” said Captain Horn; can’t trust to that. A 
coasting vessel might put in here for water, some of them 
may know that there is a stream here, and with this con- 
venient pier and a cargo ready to their hands, my guano 
would be in danger. No, sir; I intend to send you off 
to-morrow, if the wind is favorable, for the second cargo 
for which we have contracted, and I shall stay here and 
guard my warehouse.” 

“ What ! ” exclaimed the Chilian ; alone ? ” 

Why not ? ” said Captain Horn. Our force is small, 
and we can only spare one man. In loading the schooner 
on this trip, I would be the least useful man on board, 
and besides, do you think there is any one among you 
who would volunteer to stay here instead of me ? ” 

The Chilian laughed and shook his head. “ But what 
can one man do,” said he, ‘‘to defend all this if there 
should be need ? ” 

“ Oh, I don’t intend to defend it,” said the other ; the 
point is to have somebody here to claim it in case a 
coaster should touch here. I don’t expect to be mur- 
dered for the sake of a lot of guano. But I shall keep 
my two rifles and other arms inside that little fort, and 
if I should see any signs of rascality I shall jump inside 
and talk over the guano bags, and I am a good shot.” 

The Chilian shrugged his shoulders. “ If I stayed here 
alone,” said he, “ 1 should be afraid of nothing but the 
devil, and I am sure he would come to me with all his 
angels. But you are different from me.” 

‘^Yes,” said Captain Horn; “1 don’t mind the devil. 
I have often camped out by myself and I have never 
seen him yet.’^ 


140 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

When Maka heard that the Captain intended staying 
alone, he was greatly disturbed. If the Captain had not 
built the little fort with the guano bags, he would have 
begged to be allowed to remain with him., but those defen- 
sive works had greatly alarmed him; for they made him 
believe that the Captain feared that some of the Rack- 
birds might come back. He had had a great deal of 
talk with the other negroes about those bandits, and 
he was fully impressed with their capacity for atrocity. 
It grieved his soul to think that the Captain would stay 
here alone, but the Captain was a man who could defend 
himself against half a dozen Rackbirds, while he knew 
very well that he would not be a match for half a one. 
With tears in his eyes he begged Captain Horn not to 
stay there, for Rackbirds would not steal guano even if 
any of them should return. But his entreaties were of no 
use. Captain Horn explained the matter to him and made 
him understand that it was as a claimant, more than as a 
defender of his property that he remained, and that there 
was not the smallest reason to suspect any Rackbirds or 
other source of danger. The negro saw that the Captain 
had made up his mind, and mournfully joined his fellows. 
In half an hour, however, he came back to the Captain 
and offered to stay with him until the schooner should 
return. If Captain Horn had known the terrible mental 
struggle which had preceded this offer, he would have 
been more grateful to Maka than he had ever yet been 
to any human being, but he did not know it, and declined 
the proposition pleasantly but firmly. 

You are wanted on the schooner,” said he; ^^for none 
of the rest can cook, and you are not wanted here, so you 
must go with the others, and when you come back with 
the second load of guano, it will not be long before the 


AT THE RACKBIRDS’ COVE 


141 


ship which I have engaged to take away the guano will 
touch here, and then we will all go north together.” 

Maka smiled and tried to be satisfied. He and the 
other negroes had been greatly grieved that the Captain 
had not seen fit to go north from Callao and take them 
with him. Their one desire was to get away from this 
region, so full of horrors to them, as soon as possible. 
But they had come to the conclusion that, as the Captain 
had lost his ship, he must be poor, and that it was neces- 
sary for him to make a little money before he returned 
to the land of his home. 

Fortune was on the Captain’s side the next day, for the 
wind was favorable, and the captain of the schooner was 
very willing to start. If that crew, with nothing to do, 
had been compelled by adverse weather to remain in that 
little cove for a day or more, it might have been very 
difiicult indeed for Captain Horn to prevent them from 
Vandering into the surrounding country, and what might 
have happened had they chanced to wander into the cave 
made the Captain shudder to conjecture. 

He had carefully considered this danger, and ‘on the 
voyage he had made several plans by which he could 
keep the men at work, in case they were obliged to 
remain in the cove after the cargo had been landed. 
Happily, however, none of these schemes were necessary, 
and the next day, with a western wind, and at the begin- 
ning of the ebb-tide, the schooner sailed away for another 
island, where Captain Horn had purchased guano, leaving 
him alone upon the sandy beach, apparently as calm and 
cool as usual, but actually filled with turbulent delight at 
seeing them depart. 


142 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER XXI 

IN THE CAVES 

When the topmasts of the Chilian schooner had dis- 
appeared below the horizon line with no reason to sup- 
pose that the schooner would put back again, Captain 
Horn started for the caves. Had he obeyed his instincts, 
he would have begun to stroll along the beach as soon as 
the vessel had weighed anchor. But even now as he 
hurried on he walked prudently, keeping close to the 
water so that the surf might wash out his footsteps as 
fast as he made them. He climbed over the two ridges 
to the north of Rackbirds’ Cove, and then made his way 
along the stretch of sand which extended to the spot 
where the party had landed when he first reached this 
coast. He stopped and looked about him, and then in 
fancy he saw Edna standing upon the beach, her face 
pale, her eyes large and supernaturally dark, and behind 
her Mrs. Cliff and the boy and the two negroes. Not 
until this moment had he felt that he was alone. But 
now there came a great desire to speak and be spoken to, 
and yet that very morning he had spoken and listened 
as much as had suited him. 

As he walked up the rising ground toward the caves, 
that ground he had traversed so often when this place 
had been, to all intents and purposes, his home, where 
there had been voices and movement and life, the sense 
of desertion grew upon him, not only desertion of the 
place, but of himself. When he had opened his eyes 
that morning, his overpowering desire had been that not 
an hour of dajdight should pass before he should be left 
alone, and yet now his heart sank at the feeling that he 
was here and no one was with him. 


m THE CAVES 


143 


When the Captain had approached within a few yards 
of the great stone face, his brows were slowly knitted. 

“ This is carelessness,’’ he said to himself. I did not 
expect it of them. I told them to leave the utensils, but 
I did not suppose that they would leave them outside. 
No matter how much they were hurried in going away, 
they should have put these things into the caves. A 
passing Indian might have been afraid to go into that 
dark hole, but to leave those tin things there is the same 
as hanging out a sign to show that people lived inside.” 

Instantly the Captain gathered up the tin pan and tin 
plates, and looked about him to see if there were anything 
else which should be put out of sight. He did find some- 
thing else. It was a little, short, black, wooden pipe 
which was lying on a stone. He picked it up in surprise. 
Neither Maka nor Cheditafa smoked, and it could not 
have belonged to the boy. 

Perhaps,” thought the Captain, one of the sailors 
from the ^Mary Bartlett’ may have left it. Yes, that 
must have been the case. But sailors do not often leave 
their pipes behind them, nor should the officer in 
charge have allowed them to lounge about and smoke. 
But it must have been one of those sailors who left it here. 
I am glad I am the one to find these things.” 

The Captain now entered the opening to the caves. 
Passing along until he reached the room which he had 
once occupied, there he saw his rough pallet on the 
ground, drawn close to the door, however. 

The Captain knew that the rest of his party had gone 
away in a great hurry, but to his orderly mariner’s mind 
, it seemed strange that they should have left things in 
such disorder. 

He could not stop to consider these trifles now, how- 


144 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


ever, and, going to the end of the passage, he climbed over 
the low wall and entered the cave of the lake. When he 
lighted the lantern he had brought with him, he saw it 
as he had left it, dry, or even dryer than before, for the 
few pools which had remained after the main body of 
water had run off had disappeared, probably evaporated. 
He hurried on toward the mound in the distant recess of 
the cave. On the way his foot struck something which 
rattled, and, holding down his lantern to see what it was, 
he perceived an old tin cup. 

Confound it ! ” he exclaimed. This is too careless ! 
Did the boy intend to make a regular trail from the out- 
side entrance to the mound ? I suppose he brought that 
cup here to dip up water, and forgot it. I must take it 
with me when I go back.’’ 

He went on, throwing the light of the lantern on the 
ground before him, for he had now reached a part of the 
cave which was entirely dark. Suddenly something on 
the ground attracted his attention. It was bright, it 
shone as if it were a little pale flame of a candle. He 
sprang toward it, he picked it up. It was one of the 
bars of gold he had seen in the mound. 

Could I have dropped this ! ” he ejaculated. He 
slipped the little bar into his pocket, and then, his heart 
beginning to beat rapidly, he advanced, with his lantern 
close to the rocky floor. Presently he saw two other 
pieces of gold, and then, a little further on, the end of 
a candle, so small that it could scarcely have been held 
by the fingers. He picked this up and stared at it. It 
was a commonplace candle end, but the sight of it sent a 
chill through him from head to foot. It must have been 
dropped by some one who could hold it no longer. 

He pressed on, his light still sweeping the floor. He 


IN THE CAVES 


145 


found no more gold nor pieces of candle, but bere and 
there lie perceived the ends of burnt wooden matches. 
Going on, he found more matches, two or three with the 
heads broken off and unburned. In a few moments the 
mound loomed up out of the darkness like a spectral 
dome, and, looking no more upon the ground, the Captain 
ran toward it. By means of the stony projections he 
quickly mounted to the top, and there the sight he saw 
almost made him drop his lantern. The great lid of the 
mound had been moved and was now awry, leaving about 
one-half of the opening exposed. 

In one great gasp the Captain’s breath seemed to leave 
him, but he was a man of strong nerves and quickly re- 
covered himself, but even then he did not lift his lantern 
so that he could look into the interior of the mound. For 
a few moments he shut his eyes, he did not dare to look 
even. But then his courage came back, and, holding his 
lantern over the opening, he gazed down into the mound, 
and it seemed to his rapid glance that there was as much 
gold in it as when he last saw it. 

The discovery that the treasure was still there had al- 
most as much effect upon the Captain as if he had found 
the mound empty. He grew so faint that he felt he could 
not maintain his hold upon the top of the mound, and 
quickly descended, half sliding, to the bottom. There he 
sat down, his lantern by his side. When his strength came 
back to him, — and he could not have told any one how 
long it was before this happened, — the first thing he did 
was to feel for his box of matches, and, finding them safe 
in his waistcoat pocket, he extinguished the lantern. He 
must not be discovered, if there should be any one to dis- 
cover him. And now the Captain begf|,n to think as 
fiercely and rapidly as a map’s niind could l^e made to 

L 


146 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


work. Some one had been there. Some one had taken 
away gold from that mound, how much or how little it 
did not matter. Some one besides himself had had access 
to the treasure. 

His suspicions fell upon Ealph, chiefly because his most 
earnest desire at that moment was that Kalph might be 
the offender. If he could have believed that, he would 
have been happy. It must have been that the boy was 
not willing to go away and leave all that gold, feeling that 
perhaps he and his sister might never possess any of it, 
and that just before leaving he had made a hurried visit 
to the mound. But the more the Captain thought of this, 
the less probable it became. He was almost sure that 
Ealph could not have lifted that great mass of stone 
which formed the lid covering the opening of the mound, 
for it had required all his own strength to do it, and then, 
if anything of this sort had really happened, the letters 
he had received from Edna and the boy must have been 
most carefully written with the intention to deceive him. 

The letter from Edna, which in tone and style was a 
close imitation of his own to her, had been a strictly busi- 
ness communication. It told everything which happened 
after the arrival of the “ Mary Bartlett,’^ and gave him no 
reason to suppose that any one could have had a chance to 
pillage the mound. Ealph’s letter had been even more 
definite. It was constructed like an official report, and 
when the Captain had read it, he had thought that the boy 
had probably taken great pride in its preparation. It was 
as guardian of the treasure mound that Ealph wrote, and 
his remarks were almost entirely confined to this impor- 
tant trust. 

He briefly reported to the Captain that, since his depart- 
ure, no one had been in the recess of the cave where the 


IN THE CAVES 


147 


mound was situated, and he described in detail the plau 
by which he had established Edna behind the wall in the 
passage, so as to prevent any of the sailors from the ship 
from making explorations. He also stated that every- 
thing had been left in as high a condition of safety as it 
was possible to leave it, but that if his sister had been 
willing, he would most certainly have remained behind 
with the two negroes until the Captain’s return. 

Much as he wished to think otherwise. Captain Horn 
could not prevail upon himself to believe that Ralph 
could have written such a letter after a dishonorable and 
reckless visit to the mound. 

It was possible that one or both of the negroes had 
discovered the mound, but it was difficult to believe that 
they would have dared to venture into that awful cavern, 
even if the vigilance of Edna, Mrs. Cliff, and the boy had 
given them an opportunity, and Edna had written that 
the two men had always slept outside the caves and had 
had no call to enter them. And furthermore, if Cheditafa 
had found the treasure, why should he keep it a secret ? 
He would most probably have considered it an original 
discovery, and would have spoken of it to the others. 
Why should he be willing that they should all go away 
and leave so much wealth behind them ? The chief dan- 
ger, in case Cheditafa had found the treasure, was that he 
would talk about it in Mexico or the United States. But 
in spite of the hazards to which such disclosures might 
expose his fortunes, the Captain would have preferred 
that the black men should have been pilferers than that 
other men should have been discoverers. But who else 
could have discovered it ? Who could have been there ? 
Who could have gone away ? 

There was but one reasonable supposition, and that was 


148 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


that one or more of the Eackbirds, who had been away 
from their camp at the time when their fellow miscreants 
were swept away by the flood, had come back, and in 
searching for their comrades, or some traces of them, had 
made their way to the caves. It was quite possible, and, 
further, it was quite probable that the man or men who 
had found that mound might still be here or in the neigh- 
borhood. As soon as this idea came into the mind of 
the Captain, he prepared for action. This was a question 
which must be resolved if he could do it, and without loss 
of time. Lighting his lantern, — for in that black dark- 
ness it was impossible for him to And his way without it, 
although it might make him a mark for some concealed 
foe, — the Captain quickly made his way out of the lake 
cavern, and, leaving his lantern near the little wall, he 
proceeded, with a loaded pistol in his hand, to make an 
examination of the caves which he and his party had 
occupied. 

He had already looked into the first compartment, but 
stopping at the pallet which lay almost at the passage of 
the doorway, he stood and regarded it. Then he stepped 
over it and looked around the little room. The pallet of 
blankets and rugs which Ealph had used was not there. 
Then the Captain stepped into the next room, and to his 
surprise he found this as bare of everything as if it had 
never been used as a sleeping-apartment. He now hur- 
ried back to the first room, and examined the pallet, 
which, when he had first been looking at it, he had 
thought to be somewhat different from what it had been 
when he had used it. He now found that it was com- 
posed of all the rugs and blankets which had previously 
made up the beds of all the party. The Captain ground 
his teeth. 


IN THE CAVES 


149 


There can be no doubt of it/’ he said ; some one has 
been here since they left, and has slept in these caves.” 

At this moment he remembered the innermost cave, 
the large compartment which was roofless and which in 
his excitement he had forgotten. Perhaps the man who 
slept on the pallet was in there at this minute. How reck- 
less he had been, to what danger he had exposed himself ! 
With his pistol cocked, the Captain advanced cautiously 
toward the innermost compartment. Putting his head 
in at the doorway, he glanced up, down, and around. He 
called out, Who’s here?” and then he entered and 
looked around and behind each of the massive pieces of 
rock with which the floor was strewn. No one answered, 
and he saw no one. But he saw something which made 
him stare. 

On the ground, at one side of the entrance to this com- 
partment, were five or six pieces of rock about a foot high, 
placed in a small circle so that their tops came near 
enough together to support a tin kettle which was rest- 
ing upon them. Under the kettle, in the centre of the 
rocks, was a pile of burnt leaves and sticks. 

^^Here he has cooked his meals,” said the Captain, for 
the pallet made up of all the others had convinced him 
that it had been one man who had been here after his 
party had left. ‘^He stayed long enough to cook his 
meals and sleep,” thought the Captain. I’ll look into 
this provision business,” and passing through the other 
rooms, he went to a deep niche in the wall of the entrance 
passage where his party had kept their stores, and where 
Edna had written him they had left provisions enough 
for the immediate use of himself and the men who should 
return. Here he found tin cans tumbled about at the 
bottom of the niche, and every one of them absolutely 


l50 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

empty. On a little ledge stood a tin box in wliich they 
had kept the matches and candles. The box was open, 
but there was nothing in it. On the floor near by was a 
tin biscuit box, crushed nearly flat as if some one had 
stamped upon it. 

He has eaten everything that was left,” said the Cap- 
tain, and he has been starved out. Very likely, too, he 
got out of water, for of course those pools would dry up, 
and it is not likely he found the stream outside.” And 
now the Captain let down the hammer of his revolver, 
and put it in his belt. He felt sure that the man was 
not here. Being out of provisions, he had to go away, 
but where he had gone to, was useless to conjecture. Of 
another thing the Captain was now convinced; the 
intruder had not been a Backbird ; for, while waiting for 
the disappearance of the Chilian schooner, he had gone 
over to the concealed storehouse of the bandits, and had 
found it just as he had left it on his last visit, with a 
considerable quantity of stores remaining in it. If the 
man had known of the Eackbirds’ camp, and this store- 
house, it would not have been necessary for him to con- 
sume every crumb and vestige of food which had been 
left in these caves. 

‘^No,” said the Captain; ^^it could not have been a 
Eackbird, but who it was, and where he could have gone, 
is beyond my comprehension.” 


A PACK-MULE 


151 


CHAPTER XXII 

A PACK-MULE 

When Captain Horn felt quite sure tliat it was not 
Ralph, that it was not Cheditafa, that it was not a Rack- 
bird, who had visited the treasure mound, he stood and 
reflected. What had happened was a great misfortune, 
possibly it was a great danger, but it was no use stand- 
ing there thinking about it. His reason could not help 
him, it had done for him all that it could ; and it would 
be foolish to waste time in looking for the man, for it was 
plain enough that he had gone away. Of course he had 
taken some gold with him, but that did not matter much. 
The danger was that he or others might come back for 
more, but this could not be prevented and it was need- 
less to consider it. The Captain had come to this de- 
serted shore for a purpose, and it was his duty, without 
loss of time, to go to work and carry out that purpose. 
If in any way he should be interfered with, he would 
meet that interference as well as he could, but until it 
came he would go on with his work. Having come to 
this conclusion, he got over the wall, lighted his lantern, 
and proceeded to the mound. 

On his way he passed the tin cup which he had forgot- 
ten to pick up, but now he merely kicked it out of the 
way. If the man comes back,” he thought, he knows 
the way. There is no need of concealing anything.” 

When the Captain had reached the top of the mound, 
he moved the stone lid so that the aperture was entirely 
uncovered. Then he looked down upon the mass of dull 
yellow bars. He could not perceive any apparent dimi- 
nution of their numbers. 


152 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“ He must have filled his pockets,” the Captain thought, 
^^and so full that some of them dropped out. Well, let 
him go, and if he ventures back here, we shall have it 
out between us. In the mean time, I will do what I can.” 

The Captain now took from the pocket of his jacket 
two small canvas bags, which he had had made for this 
purpose, and proceeded to fill one of them with the gold 
bars, lifting the bag, every now and then, to try its 
weight. When he thought it heavy enough, he tied up 
the end very firmly, and then packed the other, as nearly 
as possible, to the same extent. Then he got down, and, 
laying one of the bags over each shoulder, he walked 
about to see if he could easily bear their weight. 

That is about right,” he said to himself ; I will count 
them when I take them out,” and then, putting them 
down, he went up for his lantern. He was about to close 
the lid of the mound, but he reflected that this would be 
of no use. It had been open nobody knew how long and 
might as well remain so ; he was coming back as often as 
he could, and it would be a tax upon his strength to lift 
that heavy lid every time ; so he left the treasures of the 
Incas open to the air under the black roof of the cavern, 
and, with his lantern in his hand and a bag of gold on 
each shoulder, he left the cave of the lake, and then, con- 
cealing his lantern, he walked down to the sea. 

Before he reached it, he had thoroughly scanned the 
ocean, but not a sign of a ship could be seen. Walking 
along the sands and keeping, as before, close to the curv- 
ing line of water thrown up by the surf, he said to 
himself : — 

I must have my eyes and ears open, but I am not 
going to be nervous or fidgety. I came here to be a pack- 
mule, and I intend to be a pack-mule until something 


A PACK-MULE 


153 


stops me ; and if that something is one man, he can look 
out for himself.’’ 

The bags were heavy and their contents were rough and 
galling to the shoulders ; but the Captain was strong, and 
his muscles were tough, and as he walked he planned a 
pair of cushions which he would wear under his golden 
epaulets in his future marches. 

When the Captain had covered the two miles of beach 
and climbed the two rocky ridges and reached his tent, 
it was long after noon, and, throwing his two bags on the 
ground and covering them with a blanket, he proceeded 
to prepare his dinner. He laid out a complete working 
plan, and one of the rules he had made was that, if possi- 
ble, nothing should interfere with his regular meals and 
hours of sleep. The work he had set for himself was 
arduous in the extreme and calculated to tax his energies 
to the utmost, and he must take very good care of his 
health and strength. In thinking over the matter, he 
had feared that the greed of gold might possess him, and 
that in his anxiety to carry away as much as he could, he 
might break down and everything be lost. 

Even now he found himself calculating how much 
gold he had brought away in the two bags, and what 
would be its value in coined money, multiplying and 
estimating with his food untouched and his eyes fixed on 
the distant sea. Suddenly he clenched his fist and struck 
it on his knee. 

^‘1 must stop this,” he said; ^‘1 shall be upset if I 
don’t. I will not count the bars in those bags. I will not 
make any more estimates. A rough guess now and then 
I cannot help, but what I have to do is to bring away all 
the gold I can. It will be time enough to find out what 
it is worth when it is safe somewhere in North America.” 


154 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


When the Captain had finished his meal, he went to 
his tent, and opened one of the trunks which he had 
brought with him, and which were supposed to contain 
the clothes and personal effects he had bought in Lima. 
This trunk, however, was entirely filled with rolls of 
cheap cotton cloth, coarse and strong, but not heavy. 
With a pair of shears he proceeded to cut from one of 
these some pieces, rather more than a foot square. Then, 
taking from his canvas bags as many of the gold bars as 
he thought would weigh twelve or fifteen pounds, trying 
not to count them as he did so, he made -a little package 
of them, tying the corners of the cloth together with a 
strong cord. When five of these bundles had been pre- 
pared, his gold was exhausted, and then he carried the 
small bundles out to the guano bags. 

He had bought his guano in bulk, and it had been put 
into bags under his own supervision ; for it was only in 
bags that the ship which was to take it north would 
receive it. The bags were new and good, and Captain 
Horn believed that each of them could be made twelve 
or fifteen pounds heavier without attracting the atten- 
tion of those who might have to lift them; for they 
were very heavy as it was. 

He now opened a bag of guano, and, thrusting a stick 
down into its contents, he twisted it about until he had 
made a cavity which enabled him, with a little trouble, to 
thrust one of the packages of gold down into the centre 
of the bag. Then he pressed the guano down firmly and 
sewed it up again, being provided with needles and an 
abundance of necessary cord. When this was done, the 
bag containing the gold did not differ in appearance from 
the others, and the Captain again assured himself that 
the additional weight would not be noticed by a com- 


A PACK-MULE 


155 


mon stevedore, especially if all the bags were about the 
same weight. At this thought he stopped work and 
looked out toward the sea, his mind involuntarily leap- 
ing out toward calculations based upon the happy chance 
of his being able to load all the bags; but he checked 
himself. 

Stop that,” he said ; go to work ! ” 

Five guano bags were packed, each with its bundle of 
gold, but the task was a disagreeable, almost a distressing, 
one, for the strong ammoniacal odor sometimes almost 
overpowered the Captain, who had a great dislike for such 
smells. But he never drew back except now and then to 
turn his head and take a breath of purer air. He was 
trying to make his fortune, and when men are doing that, 
their likes and dislikes must stand aside. 

When this task was finished, the Captain took up his 
two empty canvas bags and went back to the caves, re- 
turning late in the afternoon, loaded rather more heavily 
than before. From the experiences of the morning, he 
believed that with some folded pieces of cloth on each 
shoulder he could carry without discomfort a greater 
weight than his first ones. The gold he now brought 
was made up into six bundles, and then the Captain 
rested from his labors. He felt that he could do a 
much better day’s work than this, but this day had 
been very much broken up and he was still somewhat 
awkward. 

Day after day Captain Horn labored at his new occupa- 
tion, and a toilsome occupation it was, which no one who 
did not possess great powers of endurance and great 
hopes from the results of his work, could have under- 
gone. In about a month the schooner was to be ex- 
pected with another load of guano, and the Captain felt 


156 THE ADYENTHRES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


that he must, if possible, finish his task before she came 
back. In a few days he found that by practice and im- 
provements in his system of work, he was able to make 
four trips a day between the cove of the Kackbirds and 
the caves. He rose very early in the morning and made 
two trips before dinner ; sometimes he thought he might 
do more, but he restrained himself. It would not do for 
him to get back too tired to sleep. 

During this time in which his body was so actively 
employed, his mind was almost as active and went out 
on all sorts of excursions, some of them beneficial and 
some of them otherwise. Sometimes the thought came 
to him, as he plodded along bearing his heavy bags, that 
he was no more than a common thief, carrying away 
treasures which did not belong to him. Then, of course, 
he began to reason away these uncomfortable reflections. 
If this treasure did not belong to him, to whom did it 
belong ? Certainly not to the descendants of those Span- 
iards from whom the original owners had striven so hard 
to conceal it. If the spirits of the Incas could speak, they 
would certainly declare in his favor over that of the chil- 
dren of the men, who, in blood and torture, had obliterated 
them and their institutions. Sometimes such arguments 
entirely satisfied the Captain ; but if they did not entirely 
satisfy him, he put the whole matter aside to be decided 
upon after he should safely reach the United States with 
such treasure as he might be able to take with him. 

^^Then,’’ he thought, ^^we can do what we think is 
right. I shall listen to all that may be said by our party, 
and shall act justly ; but what I do not take away with 
me has no chance whatever of ever falling into the proper 
hands.” 

But no matter how he might terminate such reflections, 


A PACK-MULE 


167 


the Captain always blamed himself for allowing his mind 
to occupy itself with them. He had fully decided that 
this treasure belonged to him, and there was no real 
reason for his thinking of such things except that he 
had no one to talk to, and in such cases a man’s thoughts 
are apt to run wild. 

Often and often he wondered what the others were 
thinking about this affair, and whether or not they would 
all be able to keep the secret until he returned. He was 
somewhat afraid of Mrs. Cliff. He believed her to be an 
honorable woman who would not break her word, but 
still he did not know all her ideas in regard to her duty. 
She might think there was some one to whom she ought 
to confide what had happened, and what was expected 
to happen ; and if she should do this, there was no reason 
why he should not, some day, descry a ship in the offing 
with treasure hunters on board. 

Ralph gave him no concern at all except that he was 
young, and the Captain could foretell the weather much 
better than the probable actions of a youth. 

But these passing anxieties never amounted to sus- 
picions. It was far better to believe in Mrs. Cliff and 
Ralph, and he would do it; and every time he thought 
of the two, he determined to believe in them. As to Edna, 
there was no question at all about believing in her. 
He did so without consideration for or against. 

The Captain did not like his solitary life. How happy 
he would have been if they could all have remained here ; 
if the guano could have been brought without the crew 
of the schooner knowing that there were people in the 
caves ; if the negroes could have carried the bags of gold ; 
if every night, after having superintended their labors, 
he could have gone back to the caves which^ with the 


158 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


comforts lie could have brought from Lima, would have 
made a very habitable home ; if — But these were re- 
flections which were always doomed to banishment as 
soon as the Captain became aware of the inthralment 
of their charm, and sturdily onward, endeavoring to fix 
his mind upon some better sailor’s knot with which to 
tie up his bundles, or to plant his feet where his tracks 
would soon be obliterated by the incoming waves, the 
strong man trudged, bearing bravely the burden of his 
golden hopes. 


CHAPTER XXIII 

HIS PRESENT SHARE 

With four trips a day from the caves to the cove, 
taking time for rests, for regular meals, and for sleep, 
and not working on Sundays, — for he kept a diary and 
an account of days, — the Captain succeeded in a little 
over three weeks in loading his bags of guano, each with 
a package of golden bars, some of which must have 
weighed as much as fifteen pounds. 

When this work had been accomplished, he began to 
consider the return^ of the schooner; but he had no rea- 
son to expect her yet, and he determined to continue his 
work. Each day he brought eight canvas bags of gold 
from the caves, and, making them up into small bundles, 
he buried them in the sand under his tent. When a full 
month had elapsed since the departure of the schooner, 
he began to be very prudent, keeping a careful look sea- 
ward, as he walked the beach, and never entering the 
caves without mounting a high point of the rocks and 


HIS PRESENT SHARE 


159 


thoroughly scanning the ocean. If, when bearing his 
burden of gold, he should have seen a sail, he would 
have instantly stopped and buried his bags in the sand, 
wherever he might be. 

Day after day passed, and larger and larger grew the 
treasure stored in the sands under the tent, but no sail 
appeared. Sometimes the Captain could not prevent evil 
fancies coming to him. What if the ship should never 
come back ? What if no vessel should touch here for a 
year or two, and why should a vessel ever touch ? When 
the provisions he had brought and those left in the Rack- 
birds’ storehouse had been exhausted, what could he do 
but lie down here and perish ? — another victim added to 
the millions who had already perished from the thirst of 
gold. He thought of his little party in San Francisco — 
they surely would send in search of him, if he did not 
appear in a reasonable time. But he felt this hope was 
a vain one. In a letter to Edna, written from Lima, he 
had told her she must not expect to hear from him for a 
long time ; for, while he was doing the work he contem- 
plated, it would be impossible for him to communicate 
with her. 

She would have no reason to suppose that he would 
start on such an expedition without making due arrange- 
ments for safety and support, and so would hesitate long 
before she would commission a vessel to touch at this 
point in search of him. If he should starve here, he 
would die months before any reasonable person, who 
knew as much of his affairs as did Edna, would think 
the time had arrived to send a relief expedition for him. 

But he did not starve. Ten days overdue, at last the 
Chilian schooner appeared and anchored in the cove. 
She had now no white men on board but the captain and 


160 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


his mate ; for the negroes had improved so much in sea- 
manship that the economical captain had dispensed with 
his Chilian crew. 

Captain Horn was delighted to be able to speak again to 
a fellow-being, and it pleased him far better to see Maka 
than any of the others. 

^^You no eat ’nough, Cap’en,” said the black man, as 
he anxiously scanned the countenance of Captain Horn, 
which, although the Captain was in better physical con- 
dition than perhaps he had ever been in his life, was 
thinner than when Maka had seen it last. When I cook 
for you, you not so long face,’^ the negro continued. 

Didn’t us leave you ’nough to eat? Did you eat ’em 
raw ? ” 

The Captain laughed. I have had plenty to eat,” he 
said, and I never felt better. If I had not taken exer- 
cise, you would have found me as fat as a porpoise.” 

The interview with the Chilian captain was not so cor- 
dial; for Captain Horn found that the Chilian had not 
brought him a full cargo of bags of guano, and, by search- 
ing questions, he discovered that this was due entirely to 
unnecessary delay in beginning to load the vessel. The 
Chilian declared he would have taken on board all the 
guano which Captain Horn had purchased at the smaller 
island, had he not begun to fear that Captain Horn would 
suffer if he did not soon return to him, and when he 
thought it was not safe to wait any longer, he had sailed 
with a partial cargo. 

Captain Horn was very angry ; for every bag of guano 
properly packed with gold bars meant, at a rough esti- 
mate, between two and three thousand dollars if it safely 
reached a gold-market, and now he found himself with at 
least one hundred bags less than he had expected to pack. 


HIS PKESENT SHARE 


161 


There was no time to repair this loss, for the English 
vessel, the ^‘Finland,” from Callao to Acapulco, which 
the Captain had engaged to stop at this point on her next 
voyage northward, might be expected in two or three 
weeks, certainly sooner than the Chilian could get back 
to the guano island and return. In fact, there was 
barely time for that vessel to reach Callao before the 
departure of the Finland,” on board of which the 
Captain wished his negroes to be placed that they might 
go home with him. 

If I had any men to work my vessel,” said the Chilian, 
who had grown surly in consequence of the faultfinding, 
IM leave your negroes here and cut loose from the whole 
business ; IVe had enough of it.” 

That serves you right for discharging your own men 
in order that you might work your vessel with mine,” 
said Captain Horn. He had intended to insist that the 
negroes should ship again with the Chilian, but he knew 
that it would be more diificult to find reasons for this 
than on the previous voyage, and he was really more than 
glad to find that the matter had thus arranged itself. 

Talking with Captain Horn, the Chilian mate, who had 
had no responsibility in this affair and who was, conse- 
quently, not out of humor, proposed that he should go 
back with them and take the English vessel at Callao. 

I can’t risk it,” said Captain Horn. “ If your schooner 
should meet with head winds or any other bad luck, and 
the ^Finland’ should leave before I got there, there would 
be a pretty kettle of fish, and if she touched here and 
found no one in charge, I don’t believe she would take 
away a bag.” 

^^Do you think they will be sure to touch here?” 
asked the mate. Have they got the latitude and longi- 


162 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

tude ? It didn’t seem so bad before to leave you behind, 
because we were coming back, but now it strikes me it is 
rather a risky piece of business for you.” 

^^No,” said Captain Horn; am acquainted with the 
skipper of the ^ Finland ’, and I left a letter for him telling 
him exactly how the matter stood and he knows that I 
trust him to pick me up. I do not suppose he will 
expect to find me here all alone, but if he gives me the 
slip, I would be just as likely to starve to death if I had 
some men with me as if I were alone. Oh, the ^Finland’ 
will stop, I am sure of that.” 

With every reason for the schooner’s reaching Callao 
as soon as possible, and very little reason, considering the 
uncordial relations of the two captains, for remaining in 
the cove, the Chilian set sail the morning after he had 
discharged his unsavory cargo. Maka had begged harder 
than before to be allowed to remain with Captain Horn, 
but the latter had made him understand as well as he 
could the absolute necessity of the schooner reaching 
Callao in good time, and the absolute impossibility of 
any vessel doing anything in good time without a cook. 
Therefore, after a personal inspection of the stores left 
behind, both in the tent and the Kackbirds’ storehouse, 
which latter place he visited with great secrecy, Maka, 
with a sad heart, was obliged to leave the only real friend 
he had on earth. 

When early the next morning Captain Horn began to 
pack the newly arrived bags with the bundles of gold 
which he had buried in the sand, he found the bags were 
not at all in the condition of those, the filling of which 
he had supervised himself. Some of these were more 
heavily filled than others, and many were badly fastened 
up. This, of course, necessitated a good deal of extra 


HIS PRESENT SHARE 


163 


work, but the Captain sadly thought that probably he 
would have more time than he needed to do all that was 
necessary to get this second cargo into fair condition for 
transportation. He had checked off his little bundles as 
he had buried them, and there were nearly enough to fill 
all the bags. In fact, he had to make but three more 
trips in order to finish the business. 

When the work was done and everything was ready 
for the arrival of the Finland,’’ the Captain felt that he 
had good reason to curse the conscienceless Chilian 
whose laziness or carelessness had not only caused him 
the loss of perhaps a quarter of a million of dollars, but 
had given him days, how many he could not know, with 
nothing to do, and which of these two evils might prove 
the worse, the Captain could not readily determine. 

As Captain Horn walked up and down the long double 
rows of bags which contained what he hoped would 
become his fortune, he could not prevent a feeling of 
resentful disappointment when he thought of the small 
proportion borne by the gold in these bags to the treasure 
yet remaining in the mound. On his last visit to the 
mound he had carefully examined its interior, and 
although, of course, there was a great diminution in 
its contents there was no reason to believe that the 
cavity of the mound did not extend downward to the 
floor of the cave, and that it remained packed with gold 
bars to the depth of several feet. It seemed silly, crazy, 
in fact, almost wicked, for him to sail away in the Fin- 
land ” and leave all that gold behind, and yet, how could 
he possibly take away any more of it ? 

He had with him a trunk nearly empty, in which he 
might pack some blankets and other stuff with some bags 
of gold stowed away between them, but more than fifty 


164 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


pounds added to the weight of the trunk and its contents 
would make it suspiciously heavy, and what was fifty 
pounds out of that vast mass ? But although he puzzled 
his brains for the greater part of a day, trying to devise 
some method by which he could take away more gold 
without exciting the suspicions of the people on board the 
English vessel, there was no plan that entered his mind 
that did not contain elements of danger, and the danger 
was an appalling one. If the crew of the Finland,’’ or 
the crew of any other vessel, should, on this desert coast, 
get scent of a treasure mound of gold ingots, he might as 
well attempt to reason with wild beasts as to try to make 
them understand that that treasure belonged to him. If 
he could get away with any of it, or even with his life, he 
ought to be thankful. 

The Captain was a man, who, since he had come to an 
age of maturity, had been in the habit of turning his mind 
this way and that as he would turn the helm of his vessel, 
and of holding it to the course he had determined upon, 
no matter how strong the wind or wave, how dense the 
fog, or how black the night. But never had he stood to 
his helm as he now stood to a resolve. 

I ’will bring away a couple of bags,” said he, to put 
in my trunk, and then, I swear to myself, I will not think 
another minute about carrying away any more of that gold 
than what is packed in these guano bags. If I can ever 
come back, I will come back, but what I have to do now 
is to get away with what I have already taken out of the 
mound, and also to get away with sound reason and steady 
nerves.” 

The next day there was not a sail on the far horizon, 
and the Captain brought away two bags of gold; these, 
•with some clothes, he packed in his empty trunk. 


HIS FORTUNE UNDER HIS FEET 


165 


said he, ^Hhis is my present share. If I 
permit myself to think of taking another bar, I shall be 
committing a crime. 


CHAPTER XXiy 

HIS FORTUNE UNDER HIS FEET 

XoTwiTHSTANDiNO the fact that the Captain had, for 
the present, closed his account with the treasure in the 
lake cave and had determined not to give another thought 
to further drafts upon it, he could not prevent all sorts of 
vague and fragmentary plans, for getting more of the gold, 
from thrusting themselves upon him, but his hand was 
strong upon the tiller of his mind, and his course did not 
change a point. He now began to consider in what con- 
dition he should leave the caves. Once he thought he 
would go there and take away everything which might 
indicate that the caves had been inhabited, but this notion 
he discarded. 

There are a good many people,’’ he thought, ^^who 
know that we lived there, and if that man who was there 
afterward should come back, I would prefer that he should 
not notice any changes unless, indeed,” and his eyes 
glistened as a thought darted into his mind, — unless, 
indeed, he should find a lake where he left a dry cave. 
Good! I’ll try it.” 

With his hands in his pockets the Captain stood a few 
moments and thought, and then he went to work. From 
the useless little vessel which had belonged to the Rack- 
birds he gathered some bits of old rope, and, having cut 


166 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 


these into short pieces, he proceeded to pick them into 
what sailors call oakum. 

Early the next morning, his two canvas bags filled with 
this, he started for the caves. When he reached the top 
of the mound and was just about to hold his lantern so as 
to take a final glance into its interior, he suddenly turned 
away his head and shut his eyes. 

^‘No,” he said, ^^if I do that, it is ten to one I’ll jump 
inside, and what might happen next nobody knows.” 

He put the lantern aside, lifted the great lid into its 
place, and then with a hammer and a little chisel which 
he had brought with him from the tools which had been 
used for the building of the pier, he packed the crevices 
about the lid with oakum. With a mariner’s skill he 
worked, and when his job was finished, it would have 
been difficult for a drop of water to have found its way 
into the dome, no matter if it rose high above it. 

It was like leaving behind a kingdom and a throne, the 
command of armies and vast navies, the domination of 
power, of human happenings ; but he came away. 

When he reached the portion of the cave near the great 
gap which opened to the sky opposite the entrance to 
the outer caves, the Captain walked across the dry floor 
to the place where was situated the outlet through which 
the waters of the lake had poured out into the Eackbirds’ 
valley. 

The machine which controlled this outlet was situated 
under the overhanging ledge of the cave, and was in dark- 
ness, so that the Captain was obliged to use his lantern. 
He soon found the great lever which he had clutched 
when he had swum to the rescue of Ealph and which had 
gone down with him and so opened the valve and per- 
mitted egress of the water, and which now lay with its 


HIS FORTUNE UNDER HIS FEET 


167 


ten feet or more of length horizontally near the ground. 
Near by was the great pipe with its circular blackness 
leading into the depths below. 

“ That stream outside,” said the Captain, ‘‘ must run in 
here somewhere, although I cannot see nor hear it, and 
must be stopped otf by this valve or another one connected 
with it, so that if I can get this lever up again, I should 
shut it off from the stream outside and turn it in here. 
Then if that fellow comes back, he will have to swim to 
the mound and run a good chance of getting drowned if 
he does it, and if anybody else comes here, I think it will 
be as safe as the ancient Peruvians once made it.” 

With this he took hold of the great lever and at- 
tempted to raise it, but he found the operation a very 
difficult one. The massive bar was of metal, but prob- 
ably not iron; and although it was not likely that it 
had rusted, it was very hard to move in its socket. The 
Captain’s weight had brought it down easily, but this 
weight could not now be applied, and he could only 
attempt to lift it. 

When it had first been raised, it was likely that a dozen 
slaves had seized it and forced it into an upright posi- 
tion. The Captain tugged away bravely, and a few 
inches at a time he elevated the end of the great lever. 
Frequently he stopped to rest, and it was over an hour 
before the bar stood up as it had been when first he felt 
it under the water. 

When this was done, he went into the other caves, 
looked about to see that everything was in the condition 
in which he had found it, and that he had left nothing 
behind him during his many visits. When he was satis- 
fied in these points, he went back to the lake cave to see 
if any water had run in. He found everything as dry as 


168 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

when he had left it, nor could he hear any sound of run- 
ning or dripping water. Considering the matter, how- 
ever, he concluded that there might be some sort of an 
outside reservoir, which must probably fill up before the 
water ran into the cave, and so he came away. 

“ I will give it time,’’ he thought, and come back to- 
morrow to see if it is flooded.” 

That night as he lay on his little pallet, looking through 
the open front of his tent at the utter darkness of the 
night, the idea struck him that it was strange that he was 
not afraid to stay here alone. He was a brave man, he 
knew that very well, and yet it seemed odd to him that 
under the circumstances he should have so little fear ; but 
his reason soon gave him a good answer. He had known 
times when he had been very much afraid, and among 
these stood pre-eminent the time when he had expected 
an attack from the Rackbirds, but then his fear was for 
others ; when he was by himself, it was a different matter. 
It was not often that he did not feel able to take care of 
his own safety. If there were any danger now, it was in 
the daytime, when some stray Rackbirds might come 
back, or the pilferer of the mound might return with 
companions ; but if any such came, he had his little fort, 
two pistols, and a repeating rifle. At night he felt abso- 
lutely safe. There was no danger that could come by 
land or sea through the blackness of the night. 

Suddenly he sat up ; his forehead was moist with per- 
spiration, a shiver ran through him, not of cold, but of 
fear. Never in his life had he been so thoroughly fright- 
ened, never before had he felt his hands and legs tremble. 
Involuntarily he rose and stood up in the tent. He was 
terrified, not by anything real, but by the thought of 
what might happen if that lake cave should fill up with 


HIS FORTUNE UNDER HIS FEET 


169 


water, and if the ancient valves, perhaps weakened by 
his moving them backward and forward, should give way 
under the great pressure, and for a second time a tor- 
rent of water should come pouring down the Kackbirds^ 
ravine ! 

As the Captain trembled with fear, it was not for him- 
self; for he could listen for the sound of the rushing 
waters, and could dash away to the higher ground behind 
him ; but it was for his treasure bags, his fortune, his 
future ! His soul quaked. His first impulse was to rush 
out and carry every bag to higher ground ; but this idea 
was absurd, the night was too dark and the bags too 
heavy and too many. Then he thought of hurrying 
away to the caves to see if the lake had risen high 
enough to be dangerous. But what could he do if it had ? 
In his excitement he could not stand still and do nothing. 
He took hold of one end of his trunk and pulled it out 
of his tent, and, stumbling and floundering over the in- 
equalities of the ground, he at last got it to a place which 
he supposed would be out of reach of a sudden flood, 
and the difficulties of this little piece of work assured 
him of the utter futility of attempting to move the bags 
in the darkness. He had a lantern, but that would be of 
little service on such a night and for such a work. 

He went back into his tent and tried to prevail upon 
himself that he ought to go to sleep — that it was ridicu- 
lous to beset himself with imaginary dangers and to 
suffer from them as much as if they had been real ones ; 
but such reasoning was vain, and he sat up or walked 
about near his tent all night, listening and listening, and 
trying to think of the best thing to do if he should hear 
a coming flood. 

As soon as it was light he hurried to the caves, and 


170 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


when he reached the old bed of the lake, he found there 
was not a drop of water in it. 

^‘The thing doesn’t work ! ” he cried joyfully. “ Fool 
that I am, I might have known that although a man 
might open a valve two or three centuries old, he should 
not expect to shut it up again. I suppose I smashed it 
utterly.” 

His revulsion of feeling was so great that he began to 
laugh at his own absurdity, and then he laughed at his 
merriment. 

“ If any one should see me now,” he thought, they 
would surely think I had gone crazy over my wealth. 
Well, there is no danger from a flood, but to make all 
things more than safe, I will pull down this handle, if it 
will come. Anyway, I do not want it seen.” 

The great bar came down much easier than it had gone 
up, moving, in fact, the Captain thought, as if some of 
its detachments were broken, and when it was down as 
far as it would go, he came away. 

“Now,” said he, “I have done with this cave for this 
trip. If possible, I shall think of it no more.” 

When he was getting some water from the stream to 
make some coffee for his breakfast, he stopped and 
clenched his fist. “ I am more of a fool than I thought 
I was,” he said. “ This solitary business is not good for 
me. If I had thought last night of coming here to see 
if this little stream were still running, and kept its 
height, I need not have troubled myself about the lake 
in the cave. Of course, if the water were running into 
the caves, it would not be running here until the lake 
had filled. And, besides, it would take days for that 
great lake to fill. Well, I am glad that nobody but 
myself knows what an idiot I have been.” 


HIS FORTUNE UNDER HIS FEET 


171 


When he had finished his breakfast, Captain Horn went 
to work. There was to be no more thinking, no more 
plans, no more fanciful anxieties, no more hopes of doing 
something better than he had done. Work he would, 
and when one thing was done, he would find another. 
The first thing he set about was the improvement of the 
pier which had been built for the landing of the guano. 
There was a good deal of timber left unused, and he 
drove down new piles, nailed on new planking, and 
extended the little pier considerably farther into the 
waters of the cove. When this was done, he went to 
work on the lighter, which was leaky, and bailed it out, 
and corked the seams, taking plenty of time, and doing 
his work in the most thorough manner. He determined 
that after this was done, and he could find nothing better 
to do, he would split up the little vessel which the 
Rackbirds had left rudderless, mastless, and useless, and 
make kindling wood of it. 

But this was not necessary. He had barely finished 
his work on the lighter, when, one evening, he saw against 
the sun-lighted sky the topmasts of a vessel, and the next 
morning the Finland ” lay anchored off the cove, and two 
boats came ashore, out of which Maka was the first to jump. 

In five hours the guano had been transferred to the 
ship, and, twenty minutes later, the Finland,’^ with 
Captain Horn on board, had set sail for Acapulco. The 
Captain might have been better pleased if his destination 
had been San Francisco ; but, after all, it is doubtful if 
there could have been a man who was better pleased. 
He walked the deck of a good ship with a fellow-mariner 
with whom he could talk as much as he pleased, and 
under his feet were the bags containing the thousands of 
little bars for which he had worked so hard. 


172 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER XXV 

AT THE PALMETTO HOTEL 

Eor about four months the persons who made up what 
might be considered as Captain Horn’s adopted family- 
had resided in the Palmetto Hotel, in San Francisco. At 
the time we look upon them, however, Mrs. Cliff was 
not with them, having left San Francisco some weeks 
previously. 

Edna was now a very different being from the young 
woman she had been. Her face was smoother and fuller, 
and her eyes seemed to have gained a richer brown. The 
dark masses of her hair appeared to have wonderfully 
grown and thickened; but this was due to the loose 
fashion in which it was coiled upon her head, and it 
would have been impossible for any one who had known 
her before, not to perceive that she was greatly changed. 
The lines upon her forehead which had come, not from 
age, but from earnest purpose and necessity of action, 
together with a certain intensity of expression which 
would naturally come to a young woman who had to 
make her way in the world, not only for herself, but 
for her young brother, and a seriousness born of some 
doubts, some anxieties, and some ambiguous hopes, had 
all entirely disappeared as if they had been morning 
mists rolling away from a summer landscape. Under 
the rays of a sun of fortune, shining, indeed, but mildly, 
she had ripened into a physical beauty which was her 
own by right of birth, but of which a few more years of 
struggling responsibility would have forever deprived her. 

After the receipt of her second remittance, Edna and 
her party had taken the best apartments in the hotel. 


AT THE PALMETTO HOTEL 


173 


The Captain had requested this ; for he did not know how 
long they might remain there, and he wanted them to have 
every comfort. He had sent them as much money as he 
could spare from the sale, in Lima, of the gold he had 
carried with him when he first left the caves, but his 
expenses in hiring ships and buying guano were heavy. 
Edna, however, had received frequent remittances while 
the Captain was at the Eackbirds’ cove, through an agent 
in San Erancisco. These, she supposed, came from fur- 
ther sales of gold ; but, in fact, they had come from the 
sale of investments which the Captain had made in the 
course of his fairly successful maritime career. In his 
last letter from Lima he had urged them all to live well 
on what he sent them, considering it as their share of 
the first division of the treasure in the mound. If his 
intended projects should succeed, the fortunes of all of 
them would be reconstructed upon a new basis as solid 
and as grand as any of them had ever had reason to 
hope for. But if he should fail, they, the party in 
San Francisco, would be as well off, or, perhaps, better 
circumstanced than when they had started for Valparaiso. 
He did not mention the fact that he himself would be 
poorer ; for he had lost the “ Castor,’’ in which he was 
part owner, and had invested nearly all his share of the 
proceeds of the sale of the gold in ship hire, guano 
purchases, and other necessary expenses. 

Edna was waiting in San Francisco to know what 
would be the next scene in the new drama of her life. 
Captain Horn had written before he sailed from Lima in 
the Chilian schooner for the guano islands and the Eack- 
birds’ cove, and he had to some extent described his plaus 
for carrying away treasure from the mound ; but since 
that she had not heard from him until about ten days 


174 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

before, when he wrote from Acapulco, where he had 
arrived in safety with his bags of guano and their aurif- 
erous enrichments. He had written in high spirits, and 
had sent her a draft on San Francisco so large in amount 
that it had fairly startled her ; for he wrote that he had 
merely disposed of some of the gold he had brought in 
his baggage, and had not yet done anything with that 
contained in the guano bags. He had hired a storehouse 
as if he were going regularly into business, and from 
which he would dispose of his stock of guano after he 
had restored it to its original condition. To do all this, 
and convert the gold into negotiable bank deposits or 
money, Avould require time, prudence, and even diplomacy. 
He had already sold in the City of Mexico as much of the 
gold from his trunk as he could offer without giving rise 
to too many questions, and if he had not been known as 
a Californian trader, he might have found some difficulties 
even in that comparatively small transaction. 

The Captain had written that to do all he had to do he 
would be obliged to remain in Acapulco or the City of 
Mexico how long he could not tell ; for much of the treas- 
ure might have to be shipped to the United States, and 
his plans for all this business were not yet arranged. 

Before this letter had been received, Mrs. Cliff had 
believed it to be undesirable to remain longer in San 
Francisco, and had gone to her home in a little town in 
Maine. With Edna and Ealph she had waited and waited 
and waited, but at last had decided that Captain Horn was 
dead. In her mind she had allowed him all the time that 
she thought was necessary to go to the caves, get gold, 
and come to San Francisco, and, as that time had long 
elapsed, she had finally given him up as lost. She knew 
the Captain was a brave man and an able sailor, but the 


AT THE PALMETTO HOTEL 175 

adventure tie had undertaken was strange and full of un- 
known perils, and if it should so happen that she should 
hear that he had gone to the bottom in a small boat over- 
loaded with gold, she would not have been at all surprised. 

Of course, she said nothing of these suspicions to Edna 
or Kalph, nor did she intend ever to mention them to 
any one. If Edna, who in so strange a way had been 
made a wife, should, in some manner perhaps equally 
extraordinary, be made a widow, she would come back to 
her, she would do everything she could to comfort her ; 
but now she did not seem to be needed in San Erancisco, 
and her New England home called to her through the 
many voices of her friends. As to the business which 
had taken Mrs. Cliff to South America, that must now be 
postponed, but it could not but be a satisfaction to her 
that she was going back with perhaps as much money as 
she would have had if her affairs in Valparaiso had been 
satisfactorily settled. 

Edna and Ralph had come to be looked upon at the 
Palmetto Hotel as persons of distinction. They lived 
quietly, but they lived well, and their payments were 
always prompt. They were the wife and brother-in-law 
of Captain Philip Horn, who was known to be a successful 
man, and who might be a rich one ; but what seemed more 
than anything else to distinguish them from the ordinary 
hotel guests was the fact that. they were attended by two 
personal servants, who, although, of course, they could not 
be slaves, seemed to be bound to them as if they had been 
born into their service. 

Cheditafa, in a highly respectable suit of clothes which 
might have been a cross between the habiliments of a 
Methodist minister and those of a butler, was a person of 
imposing aspect. Mrs. Cliff had insisted, when his new 


176 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


clothes were ordered, that there should be something in 
them which should indicate the clergyman ; for the time 
might come when it would be necessary that he should 
be known in this character, and the butler element was 
added because it would harmonize in a degree with his 
duties as Edna’s private attendant. The old negro, with 
his sober face, and woolly hair, slightly touched with 
gray, was fully aware of the importance of his position 
as body-servant to Mrs. Horn, but his sense of the re- 
sponsibility of that position far exceeded any other senti- 
ments of which his mind was capable. Perhaps it was 
the fact that he had made Edna Mrs. Horn which gave 
him the feeling that he must never cease to watch over 
her and to serve her in every possible way. Had the 
hotel taken fire, he would have rushed through the flames 
to save her ; had robbers attacked her, they must have 
taken his life before they took her purse. When she 
drove out in the city or suburbs, he always sat by the side 
of the driver, and when she walked in the streets, he 
followed her at a respectful distance. 

Proud as he was of the fact that he had been the offici- 
ating clergyman at the wedding of Captain Horn and this 
grand lady, he had never mentioned the matter to any 
one ; for many times, and particularly just before she left 
San Francisco, Mrs. Cliff had told him, in her most im- 
pressive manner, that if he informed any one that he had 
married Captain Horn and Miss Markham, great trouble 
would come of it. What sort of trouble, it was not 
necessary to explain to him, but she was very earnest in 
assuring him that the marriage of a Christian by a 
heathen was something which was looked upon with 
great disfavor in this country, and unless Cheditafa could 
prove that he had a perfect right to perform the cere- 


AT THE PALMETTO HOTEL 


177 


mony, it might be bad for him. When Captain Horn 
had settled his business affairs and should come back, 
everything would be made all right, and nobody need 
feel any more fear, but until then he must not speak of 
what he had done. 

If Captain Horn should never come back, Mrs. Cliff 
thought that Edna would then be truly his widow, and 
his letters would prove it, but that she was really his 
wife until the two had marched off together to a regular 
clergyman, the good lady could not entirely admit. Her 
position was not logical, but she rested herself firmly 
upon it. 

The other negro, Mok, could speak no more English 
than when we first met him, but he could understand 
some things which were said to him, and was very quick, 
indeed, to catch the meanings of signs, motions, and 
expressions of countenance. At first Edna did not know 
what to do with this negro, but Ealph solved the ques- 
tion by taking him as a valet, and day by day he became 
more useful to the youth, who often declared that he did 
not know how he used to get along without a valet. 
Mok was very fond of fine clothes, and Ralph liked to 
see him smartly dressed, and he frequently appeared of 
more importance than Cheditafa. He was devoted to 
his young master, and was so willing to serve him that 
Ralph often found great difficulty in finding him some- 
thing to do. 

Edna and Ralph had a private table, at which Chedi- 
tafa and Mok assisted in waiting, and Mrs. Cliff had 
taught both of them how to dust and keep rooms in 
order. Sometimes Ralph sent Mok to a circulating 
library. Having once been shown the place, and made 
to understand that he must deliv^f there the piece of 

N 


178 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

paper and the books to be returned, he attended to the 
business as intelligently as if he had been a trained dog, 
and brought back the new books with a pride as great as 
if he had selected them. The fact that Mok was an 
absolute foreigner, having no knowledge whatever of 
English, and that he was possessed of an extraordinary 
activity, which enabled him, if the gate of the back yard 
of the hotel happened to be locked, to go over the eight- 
foot fence with the agility of a monkey, had a great 
effect in protecting him from impositions from other ser- 
vants. When a hlack negro cannot speak English, but 
can bound like an india-rubber ball, it may not be safe 
to trifle with him. As for trifling with Cheditafa, no 
one would think of such a thing ; his grave and reverend 
aspect was his most effectual protection. 

As to Ralph, he had altered in appearance almost as 
much as his sister. His apparel no longer indicated the 
boy, and, as he was tall and large for his years, the fash- 
ionable suit he wore, his gay scarf with its sparkling pin, 
and his brightly polished boots, did not appear out of 
place upon him. But Edna often declared that she had 
thought him a great deal better looking in the scanty, 
well-worn, but more graceful garments in which he had 
disported himself on the sands of Peru. 


CHAPTER XXVI 

THE captain’s LETTER 

On a sofa in her well-furnished parlor reclined Edna, 
and on a table near by lay several sheets of closely 
written letter paper. She had been reading, and now 


THE captain’s LETTER 


1T9 


she was thinking, — thinking very intently, — which in 
these days was an unusual occupation with her. During 
her residence in San Francisco she had lived quietly, but 
cheerfully. She had supplied herself abundantly with 
books, she had visited theatres and concerts, she had 
driven around the city, she had taken water excursions, 
she had visited interesting places in the neighborhood, 
and she had wandered among the shops, purchasing, in 
moderation, things that pleased her. For company, she 
had relied chiefly on her own little party, although there 
had been calls from persons who knew Captain Horn. 
Some of these people were interesting and some were 
not, but they all went away thinking that the Captain 
was a wonderfully fortunate man. 

One thing, which used to be a pleasure to Edna, she 
refrained from altogether, and that was the making of 
plans. She had put her past life entirely behind her; 
she was beginning a new existence, — what sort of an 
existence she could not tell, — but she was now living 
with the determinate purpose of getting the greatest 
good out of her life, whatever it might be. 

Already she had had much, but in every respect her 
good fortunes were but preliminary to something else. 
Her marriage was but the raising of the curtain, the play 
had not yet begun. The money she was spending was 
but an earnest of something more expected; her newly 
developed physical beauty, which she could not fail to 
appreciate, would fade away again, did it not continue 
to be nourished by that which gave it birth ; but what 
she had, she had, and that she would enjoy. When Cap- 
tain Horn should return, she would know what would 
happen next. This could not be a repetition of the life 
she was leading at the Palmetto Hotel, but whatever the 


180 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


new life might be, she would get from it all that it might 
contain for her. She did not in the least doubt the Cap- 
tain’s return; for she believed in him so thoroughly that 
she felt, she knew, he would come back and tell her of his 
failure or his success, and what she was to do next. But 
now she was thinking; she could not help it, for her 
tranquil mind had been ruffled. 

Her cogitations were interrupted by the entrance of 
Ealph. 

“ I say, Edna, ” said he, throwing himself into an easy 
chair and placing his hat upon another near by, “was 
that a returned manuscript that Cheditafa brought you 
this morning? You haven’t been writing for the maga- 
zines, have you? ” 

“That was a letter from Captain Horn,” she said. 

“Whew!” he exclaimed. “It must be a whopper! 
What does he say? When is he coming here? Give me 
some of the points of it. But by the way, Edna, before 
you begin, I will say that I think it is about time he 
should write. Since the letter in which he told about 
the guano bags and sent you that lot of money — let me 
see, how long ago was that?” 

“It was ten days ago,” said his sister. 

“Is that so? I thought it was longer than that, but 
no matter. Since that letter came, I have been com- 
pletely upset. I want to know what I am to do, and, 
whatever I am to do, I want to get at it. From what 
the Captain wrote, and from what I remember of the 
size and weight of those gold bars, he must have got 
away with more than a million dollars, — perhaps a mil- 
lion and a half. Now, what part of that is mine? What 
am I to do with it? When am I to begin to prepare 
myself for the life I am to lead when I get it? All this 


THE captain’s LETTER 


181 


I want to know, and, more than that, I want to know 
what yon are going to do. Now if I had got to Aca- 
pulco, or any other civilized spot, with a million dollars 
in solid gold, it would not have been ten days before I 
should have written to my family, — for I suppose that 
is what we are, — and should have told them what I was 
going to do, and how much they might count on. But I 
hope now that letter does tell?” 

“The best thing to do,” said Edna, taking up the 
letter from the table, “ is to read it to you. But before 
I begin I want to say something, and that is that it is 
very wrong of you to get into these habits of calculating 
about what may come to you. What is to come, will 
come, and you might as well wait for it without upset- 
ting your mind by all sorts of wild anticipations; and, 
besides this, you must remember that you are not of age 
and that I am your guardian, and whatever fortune may 
now come to you will be under my charge until you are 
twenty-one.” 

“Oh, I don’t care about that,” said Kalph; “we will 
have no trouble about agreeing what is the best thing for 
me to do. But now go ahead with the letter.” 

“‘I am going to tell you,’” at the beginning of the 
second paragraph, “‘of a very strange thing which hap- 
pened to me since I last wrote. I will first state that 
after my guano bags had all been safely stored in the 
warerooms I have hired, I had a heavy piece of work 
getting the packages of gold out of the bags, and in 
packing the bars in small, stout boxes I found in the 
City of Mexico and had sent down here. In looking 
around for boxes which would suit my purpose, I dis- 
covered these which had been used for stereotype plates. 
They were stamped on the outside, and just what I 


182 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


wanted, being about as heavy after I packed them with 
gold as they were when they were filled with type-metal. 
This packing I had to do principally at night, when I 
was supposed to be working in a little office attached to 
the rooms. As soon as this was done, I sent all the 
boxes to a safe deposit bank in Mexico, and there the 
greater part of them are yet. Some I have shipped to 
the mint in San Francisco, some have gone north, and 
I am getting rid of the rest as fast as I can. 

“ ‘ The gold bars, cast in a form novel to all dealers, 
have excited a good deal of surprise and questioning, 
but for this I care very little. My main object is to get 
the gold separated as many miles as possible from the 
guano; for if the two should be connected in the mind of 
any one who knew where the guano was last shipped 
from, I might have cause for anxiety. But as the bars 
bear no sort of mark to indicate that they were cast by 
ancient Peruvians, and, so far as I can remember, — and 
I have visited several museums in South America, — 
these castings are not like any others that have come 
down to us from the times of the Incas, the gold must 
have been cast in this simple form merely for conven- 
ience in transportation and packing. Some people may 
think it is California gold, some may think it comes 
from South America; but, whatever they think, they 
know it is pure gold, and they have no right to doubt 
that it belongs to me. Of course, if I were a stranger, it 
might be different, but wherever I have dealt I am 
known, or I send a good reference; and now I will come 
to the point of this letter. 

Three days ago I was in my office, waiting to see a 
man to whom I hoped to sell my stock of guano, when a 
man came in, — but not the one I expected to see, — and 


THE captain’s LETTER 


183 


if a ghost had appeared before me, I could not have been 
more surprised. I do not know whether or not you 
remember the two American sailors who were the first 
to go out prospecting, after Mr. Eynders and his men 
left us, and who did not return. This man was one of 
them, Edward Shirley by name.’ ” 

I remember him perfectly ! ” cried Ealph. “ And 
the other fellow was George Burke. On board the 
‘Castor ’ I used to talk to them more than to any of the 
other sailors.” 

“‘But astonished as I was,”’ Edna went on to read, 
“ ‘Shirley did not seem at all surprised, but came forward 
and shook hands most heartily. He said he had read in 
a newspaper that I had been rescued and was doing busi- 
ness in Acapulco, and he had come down on purpose to 
find me. I told him how we had given up him and his 
mate for lost, and then, as he had read a very slim ac- 
count of our adventures, I told him the whole story, 
taking great care, as you may guess, not to say anything 
about the treasure mound. He did not ask any questions 
as to why I did not come back with the rest of you, but 
was greatly troubled when he heard of the murders of 
every man of our crew except himself and Burke and 
Maka. 

“‘When I had finished, he told me his story, which I 
will condense as much as possible. When he and Burke 
started out, they first began to make their way along the 
slope of the rocky ridge which ended in our caves, but 
they found this very hard work, so they soon went down 
to the sandy country to the north. Here they shot some 
little beast or other, and while they were hunting another 
one, up hill and down dale, they found night was coming 
on, and they were afraid to retrace their steps for fear 


184 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 

they might come to trouble in the darkness; so they ate 
what they had with them and camped, and the next 
morning the mountains to the east seemed to be so near 
them that they thought it much easier to push on instead 
of coming back to us. They thought that when they got 
to the fertile country, they would find a settlement, and 
then they might be able to do something for the rest of 
the party, and it would be much wiser to go ahead than 
to turn back; but they found themselves greatly mis- 
taken. Mountains in the distance, seen over a plain, 
appear very much nearer than they are, and these two 
poor fellows walked and walked, until they were pretty 
nearly dead. The story is a long one as Shirley told 
it to me, but just as they were about giving up en- 
tirely, they were found by a little party of natives, who 
had seen them from a long distance and had come to 
them. 

‘‘‘After a great deal of trouble, — I believe they had 
to carry Burke a good part of the way, — the natives got 
them to their huts at the foot of the mountains, and took 
care of them. These people told Shirley — he knows a 
little Spanish — that it was a piece of rare good luck 
that they found them ; for it was very seldom they went 
so far out into the desert. 

“ ‘In a day or two the two men went on to a little vil- 
lage in the mountains, and there they tried to get up an 
expedition to come to our assistance. They knew that 
we had food enough to last for a week or two, but after 
that we must be starved out; but nobody would do any- 
thing, and then they went on to another town to see what 
they could do there. ^ ” 

“ Good fellows ! ” exclaimed Balph. 

“Indeed, they were,” said Edna; “but wait until you 


captain’s letter 


185 


hear what they did next. ‘Nobody in this small town/ ” 
she read on, “‘was willing to join Burke and Shirley in 
their proposed expedition, and no wonder; for crossing 
those deserts is a dangerous thing, and most people said 
it would be useless anyway, as it would be easier for us 
to get away by sea than by land. At this time Burke 
was taken sick, and for a week or two Shirley thought 
he was going to die. Of course, they had to stay where 
they were, and it was a long time before Burke was able 
to move about. Then they might have gone into the 
interior until they came to a railroad, and so have got 
away, for they had money with them, but Shirley told 
me they could not bear to do that without knowing what 
had become of us. They did not believe there was any 
hope for us unless the mate had come back with assist- 
ance, and they had not much faith in that ; for if a storm 
had come up, such as had wrecked the “Castor,” it would 
be all over with Mr. Eynders’ boat. 

“‘But even if we had perished on that desolate coast, 
they wanted to know it and carry the news to our friends ; 
and so they both determined, if the thing could be done, 
to get back to the coast and find out what had become of 
us. They went again to the little village where they had 
been taken by the natives who found them, and there, 
by promises of big pay, — at least large for those poor 
Peruvians, — they induced six of them to join in an ex- 
pedition to the caves. They did not think they had any 
reason to suppose they would find any one alive, but 
still, besides the provisions necessary for the party there 
and back, they carried something extra. 

“‘Well, they journeyed for two days, and then there 
came up a wind storm, hot and dry, filling the air with 
sand and dust, so that they could not see where they 


186 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


were going, and the natives said they ought all to go 
back; for it was dangerous to try to keep on in such a 
storm. But our two men would not give up so soon, 
and they made a camp in a sheltered place and deter- 
mined to press on in the morning, when they might 
expect the storm to be over. But in the morning they 
found that every native had deserted them. The wind 
had gone down, and the fellows must have started back 
before it was light. Then Shirley and Burke did not 
know what to do. They believed that they were nearer 
the coast than the mountains, and, as they had plenty of 
provisions, — for the natives had left them nearly every- 
thing, — they thought they would try to push on, for 
a while at least. 

‘ There was a bit of rising ground to the east, and 
they thought if they could get on the top of that they 
might get a sight of the ocean, and then discover how 
far away it was. They reached the top of the rising 
ground, and they did not see the ocean, but a little ahead 
of them, in a smooth stretch of sand, was something 
which amazed them a good deal more than if it had been 
the sea. It was a pair of shoes sticking up out of the 
sand. They were an old pair, and appeared to have legs 
to them. They went to the spot, and found that these 
shoes belonged to a man who was entirely covered by 
sand, with the exception of his feet, and dead, of course. 
They got the sand off of him, and found he was a white 
man, in sailor’s clothes. First they had thought he 
might be one of our party, but they soon perceived that 
this was a mistake; for they had never seen the man 
before. He was dried up until he was nothing but a 
skeleton with skin over it, but they could have recog- 
nized him if they had known him before. From what 


THE captain’s LETTER 


187 


they had heard of the rainless climate of the Peruvian 
coast, and the way it had of drying up dead animals of 
all sorts, they imagined that this man might have been 
there for years. He was lying on his back, with his 
arms folded around a bundle, and when they tried to 
move this bundle, they found it was very heavy. It was 
something wrapped up in a blanket and tied with a cord, 
and when they opened the bundle, they were pretty nearly 
struck dumb; for they saw it held, as Shirley expressed 
it, about a peck of little hunks of gold. 

“‘They were utterly astounded by this discovery, and 
utterly unable to make head or tail of it. What that 
man, apparently an English sailor, had been doing out 
in the middle of this desert with a bundle of gold, and 
where he got it, and who he was, and where he was 
going to, and how long he had been dead, were things 
beyond their guessing. They dragged the body out of 
its burrow in the sand and examined the pockets, but 
there was nothing in the trousers but an old knife. In 
the pocket of the shirt, however, were about a dozen 
matches, wrapped up in an old envelope. This was ad- 
dressed, in a very bad hand, to A. McLeish, Callao, 
Peru, but they could not make out the date of the post- 
mark. These things were all there was about the man 
that could possibly identify him; for his few clothes were 
such as any sailor would wear, and were very old and 
dirty. 

“‘But the gold was there. They examined it and 
scraped it, and they were sure it was pure gold. There 
was no doubt in their minds as to what they would do 
about this. They would certainly carry it away with 
them, but before they did so, Burke wanted to hunt 
around and see if they could not find more of it; for the 


188 THE ADVENTUKES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


mass of metal was so heavy he did not believe the sailor 
could have carried it very far. But after examining the 
country as far as the eye could reach, Shirley would not 
agree to this. They could see nothing but wide-stretching 
sands, and no place where it seemed worth while to risk 
their lives hunting for treasure. Their best plan was to 
get away with what they had found, and now the point 
was whether or not they should press on to the coast or 
go back; but, as they could see no signs of the sea, they 
soon came to the conclusion that the best thing to do if 
they wanted to save their lives and their treasure was to 
get back to the mountains. 

forgot to say that as soon as Shirley began to talk 
about the dead man and his gold, I left the warehouse in 
charge of Maka and took him to my hotel, where he told 
me the rest of his story in a room with the door locked. 
I must try to take as many reefs in what followed as I 
can. I don't believe that the finding of the gold made 
any difference in their plans ; for, of course, it would have 
been foolish for them to try to get to us by themselves. 
They cut the blanket in half and made up the gold into 
two packages, and then they started back for the moun- 
tains, taking with them all the provisions they could 
carry in addition to the gold, and leaving their guns 
behind them. Shirley said their loads got heavier and 
heavier as they ploughed through the sand, and it took 
them three days to cover the ground they had gone over 
before in two. When they got to the village, they found 
scarcely a man in the place; for the fellows who had 
deserted them were frightened, and kept out of sight. 
They stayed there all night, and then they went on with 
their bundles to the next village, where they succeeded 
in getting a couple of travelling-bags, into which they 


THE CAPTAIN'S LETTER 


189 


put their gold, so that they might appear to be carrying 
their clothes. 

“‘After a good deal of travel they reached Callao, and 
there they made inquiries for A. McLeish, but nobody 
knew of him. Of course, he was a sailor who had had a 
letter sent there. They went up to Lima and sold a few 
pieces of the gold, but before they did it, they got a 
heavy hammer and pounded them up, so that no one 
would know what their original shape was. Shirley 
said he could not say exactly why they did this, but that 
they thought, on the whole, it would be safer. Then they 
went to San Francisco on the first vessel that sailed. 
They must have had a good deal of talk on the voyage 
in regard to the gold, and it was in consequence of their 
discussions that Shirley wanted so much to find me. 
They had calculated, judging by the pieces they had sold, 
that the gold they had with them was worth about twelve 
thousand dollars, and they both thought they ought to 
do the right thing about it. In the first place, they tried 
in San Francisco to find out something about McLeish, 
but no one knew of such a man. They then began to 
consider some persons they did know about. They had 
heard in Lima that some of the people of the “ Castor 
had been rescued, and if any of them were hard up, as 
most likely they were, Shirley and Burke thought that 
by rights they ought to have some of the treasure that 
they had found. Shirley said at first they had gone on 
the idea that each of them would have six thousand 
dollars and could go into business for himself, but after 
a while they thought this would be a mean thing to do. 
They had all been shipwrecked together, and two of 
them had had a rare piece of good luck, and they thought 
it no more than honorable to share this good luck with 


190 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the others, so they concluded the best thing to do was 
to see me about it. Burke left this business to Shirley, 
because he wanted to go to see his sister who lived in St. 
Louis. 

“ ‘ They had not formed any fixed plan of division, but 
they believed that, as they had had the trouble, and, in 
fact, the danger, of getting the gold, that they should 
have the main share, but they considered that they had 
enough to help out any of the original party who might 
be hard up for money. Of course we must always re- 
member,” said Shirley, in finishing up his story, ^‘that 
if we can find the heirs of McLeish, the money belongs 
to them ; but, even in that case, Burke and I think we 
ought to keep a good share of it to pay us for getting it 
away from that beastly desert.” Here I interrupted 
him. ‘‘Don’t you trouble yourself any more about 
McLeish,” I said; “that money did not belong to 'him. 
He stole it.” “How do you know that, and who did he 
steal it from?” cried Shirley. “He stole it from me,” 
said I. 

“ ‘ At this point Shirley gave such a big jump backward 
that his chair broke beneath him, and he went crashing 
to the floor. He had made a start a good deal like that 
when I told him how the Backbirds had been swept out 
of existence when I had opened the flood-gate that let 
out the waters of. the lake, and I had heard the chair 
crack then. How, while he had been telling me about 
his finding that man in the sand, with his load of gold, 
I had been listening, but I had also been thinking, and 
most any man can think faster than another one can 
talk, and so by this time I had made up my mind what 
I was going to say to Shirley, — I would tell him all 
about my finding the gold in the mound. It touched me 


THE captain’s LETTER 


191 


to think that these poor fellows, who did all that they 
could to help us escape, and then, when they got safely 
home, started immediately to find us in order that they 
might give us some of that paltry twelve thousand dol- 
lars — give to us, who are actually millionnaires, and 
who may be richer yet ! It would not do to let any of the 
crew get ahead of their Captain in fair dealing, and that 
was one reason why I determined to tell him. Then 
there was another point. Ever since I have been here, 
selling and storing the gold I brought away, I have had 
a heavy load on my mind, and that was the thought of 
leaving all the rest of the gold in that mound for the 
next person who might come along and find it. 

“‘I devised plan after plan of getting more of it, but 
none of them would work. Two things were certain; 
one was that I could not get any more away by myself. 
I had already done the best I could, and all I could in 
that line. And the second thing was, that if I should 
try for any more of the treasure, I must have people to 
help me. The plan that suited me best was to buy a 
small vessel, man it, go down there, load up with the 
gold, and sail away. There would be no reasonable 
chance that any one would be there to hinder me, and I 
would take in the cargo just as if it were guano or any- 
thing else. Then I would go boldly to Europe. I have 
looked into the matter, and I have found that the best 
thing I can do, if I should get that gold, would be to 
transport it to Paris, where I could distribute it better 
than I could from any other point. But the trouble 
was, where could I get the crew to help me? I have 
four black men, and I think I could trust them, as far 
as honesty goes, but they would not be enough to work 
the ship, and I could not think of any white men with 


192 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


whom I would trust my life and that gold in the same 
vessel. But now they seemed to pop up right in front 
of me. 

knew Shirley and Burke pretty well when they 
were on the “Castor,” and after what Shirley told me 
I knew them better, and I believed they were my men. 
To be sure, they might fail me, for they are only human ; 
but I had to have somebody to help me, and I did not 
believe there were any other two men who would be less 
likely to fail me. So by the time Shirley had finished 
his yarn, I was ready to tell him the whole thing, and 
propose to him and Burke to join me in going down after 
the rest of the treasure and taking it to France. ’ ” 

At this point Ealph sprang to his feet, his eyes flash- 
ing. “ Edna ! ” he cried, “ I say that your Captain 
Horn is treating me shamefully. In the first place, he 
let me come up here to dawdle about, doing nothing, when 
I ought to have been down there helping him get more 
of that treasure. I fancy he might have trusted me, and 
if I had been with him, we should have brought away 
nearly twice as much gold, and at this minute we should 
be twice as well off as we are. But this last is a thou- 
sand times worse. Here he is, going off on one of the 
most glorious adventures of this century, and he leaves 
me out. What does he take me for? Does he think I 
am a girl? When he was thinking of somebody to go 
with him, why didn’t he think of me, and why doesn’t 
he think of me now? He has no right to leave me out! ” 
“I look at the matter in a different light,” said his 
sister; “Captain Horn has no right to take you off on 
such a dangerous adventure, and, more than that, he has 
no right to take you from me, and leave me alone in the 
world. He once made you the guardian of all that treas- 


THE captain’s LETTER 


193 


ure, and now lie considers yon as my guardian. You 
did not desert the first trust, and I am sorry to think you 
want to desert the other.” 

“That^s all very fine,” said Ealph; ‘‘you blow hot and 
you blow cold at the same time. When you want me to 
keep quiet and do what I am told, you tell me I am not 
of age, and that you are my guardian ; and when you 
want me to stay here and make myself useful, you tell 
me I am wonderfully trusty, and that I must be your 
guardian.” 

Edna smiled. “That is pretty good reasoning,” she 
said, “but there isn’t any reasoning needed in this case. 
No matter what Captain Horn may say or do, I would 
not let you go away from me.” 

Ealph sat down again. “ There is some sense in what 
you say,” he said; “if the Captain should come to grief, 
and I were with him, we would both be gone. Then you 
would have nobody left to you. But that does not 
entirely clear him. Even if he thought I ought not to 
go with him, he ought to have said something about it, 
and put in a word or so about his being sorry. Is there 
any more of the letter? ” 

“Yes,” said Edna; “there is more of it,” and she 
began to read again. “‘I intended to stop here and give 
you the rest of the matter in another letter, but now, as 
I have a good chance to write, I think it is better to keep 
on, although this letter is already as long as the pay-roll 
of the navy. When I told Shirley about the gold, he 
made a bounce pretty nearly as big as the others, but 
this time I had him in a stout arm-chair and he did no 
damage. He had in his pocket one of the gold bars he 
spoke of, and I had one of mine in my trunk, and, when 
we put them together, they were as like as two peas, 
o 


194 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


What I told him dazed him at first, and he did not seem 
properly to understand what it all meant, but, after a 
little, a fair view of it came to him, and for hours we 
talked over the matter. Who the man was who had gone 
there after we left did not matter; for he could never 
come back again. 

‘“We decided that what we should do was to go and 
get that gold as soon as possible, and Shirley agreed to 
go with me. He believed we could trust Burke to join 
us, and, with my four black men, — who have really 
become good sailors, — we would have a crew of seven 
men altogether, with which we could work a fair-sized 
brig to Havre or some other French port; and before 
he went away, our business was settled. He agreed to 
go with me as first mate, to do his best to help me get 
that gold to France, to consider the whole treasure as 
mine, because I had discovered it, — I explained the 
reason to him as I did to you, — and to accept as regular 
pay one hundred dollars a day, from then until we 
should land the cargo in a European port, and then to 
leave it to me how much more I would give him. I 
told him there were a lot of people to be considered, and 
I was going to try to make the division as fair as possi- 
ble, and he said he was willing to trust it to me. 

‘“If we did not get the gold, he was to have eighteen 
dollars a month for the time he sailed with me, and if 
we got safely back, I would give him his share of what 
I had already secured. He was quite sure that Burke 
would make the same agreement, and we telegraphed 
him to come immediately. I am going to be very care- 
ful about Burke, however, and sound him well before 
I tell him anything. 

“ ‘Yesterday we found our vessel. She arrived in port 


EDNA MAKES HER PLANS 


195 


a few days ago, and is now unloading. She is a small 
brig, and I think she will do; in fact, she has got to do. 
By the time Burke gets here I think we shall be ready 
to sail. Up to that time we shall be as busy as men 
can be, and it will be impossible for me to go to San 
Francisco. I must attend to the shipping of the treas- 
ure I have stored in the City of Mexico. I shall send 
some to one place and some to another, but want it all 
turned into coin or bonds before I start. Besides, 1 
must be on hand to see Burke the moment he arrives. 
I am not yet quite sure about him, and if Shirley should 
let anything slip while I was away, our looked-for fort- 
une might be lost to us.’ 

And that,” said Edna, is all of the letter that I need 
read, except that he tells me he expects to write again 
before he starts, and that his address after he sails will 
be Wraxton, Fuguet & Co., American bankers in Paris.” 


CHAPTEK XXVII 

EDNA MAKES HER PLANS 

When she had finished reading the many pages of the 
letter, Edna leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. 
Ealph sat upright in his chair and gazed intently before 
him. 

^^So we are not to see the Captain again,” he said 
presently. “ But I suppose that when a man has a thing 
to do, the best thing is to go and do it.” 

Yes,” said his sister; ^^that is the best thing.” 

And what are we to do ? ” 


196 THE ADVENTUBES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

I am now trying to decide,” she answered. 

Doesn’t he say anything about it ? ” 

^^Not a word,” replied Edna; suppose he consid- 
ered he had made his letter long enough.” 

About an hour after this, when the two met again, 
Edna said, have been writing to Captain Horn, and 
am going to write to Mrs. Cliff. I have decided what we 
shall do. I am going to France.” 

“ To France ! ” cried Ealph ; both of us ? ” 

Yes ; both of us. I made up my mind about this since 
I saw you.” 

“What are you going to France for?” he exclaimed. 
“ Come, let us have it all quick.” 

“ I am going to France,” said his sister, “ because Cap- 
tain Horn is going there, and when he arrives, I wish to 
be there to meet him. There is no reason for our staying 
here — ” 

“ Indeed, there is not,” interpolated Ealph, earnestly. 

“ If we must go anywhere to wait,” continued his sis- 
ter, “ I would prefer Paris.” 

“ Edna,” cried Ealph, “ you are a woman of solid sense, 
and if the Captain wants his gold divided up, he should 
get you to do it. And now when are we going, and is 
Mrs. Cliff to go ? What are you going to do with the 
two darkies ? ” 

“We shall start East as soon as the Captain sails,” 
replied his sister; “ and I do not know what Mrs. Cliff will 
do until I hear from her, and as for Cheditafa and Mok, 
we shall take them with us.” 

“ Hurrah ! ” cried Ealph. “ Mok for my valet in Paris. 
That’s the best thing I have got out of the caves yet.” 

Captain Horn was a strong man, prompt in action, and 
no one could know him long without being assured of 


EDiTA MAKES HEK ELANS 


197 


these facts ; but although Edna’s outward personality was 
not apt to indicate quickness of decision, vigor of pur- 
pose, that quickness and vigor were hers, quite as much 
as the Captain’s when occasion demanded, and occasion 
demanded them now. The Captain had given no indica- 
tion of what he would wish her to do during the time 
which would be occupied by his voyage to Peru, his work 
there, and his subsequent long cruise around South Amer- 
ica to Europe. ' She expected that in his next letter he 
would say something about this, but she wished first to 
say something herself. 

She did not know this bold sailor as well as she loved 
him, and she was not at all sure that the plans he might 
make for her during his absence would suit her dispo- 
sition or her purposes. Consequently, she resolved to 
submit her plans to him before he should write again. 
Above everything else, she wished to be in that part of 
the world at which Captain Horn might be expected to 
arrive when his present adventure should be accom- 
plished. She did not wish to be sent for to go to France ; 
she did not wish to be told that he was coming to Amer- 
ica. Wherever he might land, there she would be. 

The point that he might be unsuccessful, and might 
never leave South America, did not enter into her con- 
sideration. She was acting on the basis that he was a 
man who was likely to succeed in his endeavors. If she 
should come to know that he had not succeeded, then her 
actions would be based upon the new circumstances. 

Furthermore, she had now begun to make plans for 
her future life. She had been waiting for Captain Horn 
to come to her, and to find out what he intended to do. 
How she knew he was not coming to her for a long time, 
and what he intended to do, and she made her own 


198 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

plans. Of course, she dealt only with the near future. 
All beyond that was vague, and she could not touch it 
even with her thoughts. When sending his remittances, 
the Captain had written that she and Mrs. Cliff must con- 
sider the money he sent her as income to be expended, 
not as principal to be put away or invested. He had 
made provisions for the future of all of them in case he 
should not succeed in his present project, and what he 
had not set aside with that view, he had devoted to his 
own operations and to the maintenance, for a year, of 
Edna, Ealph, and Mrs. Cliff, in such liberal and generous 
fashion as might please them, and he had apportioned 
the remittances in a way which he deemed suitable. As 
Edna disbursed the funds, she knew that this proportion 
was three-quarters for herself and Ealph, and one-quarter 
for Mrs. Cliff. 

“ He divides everything into four parts,” she thought, 
“ and gives me his share.” 

Acting on her principle of getting every good thing 
out of life that life could give her, and getting it while 
life was able to give it to her, there was no doubt in 
regard to her desires. Apart from her wish to go where 
the Captain expected to go, she considered that every day 
now spent in America was a day lost. If her further 
good fortune should never arrive and the money in hand 
should be gone, she wished, before that time came, to 
engraft upon her existence a period of life in Europe, 
— life of such freedom and opportunity as never before 
she had had a right to dream of. 

Across this golden outlook there came a shadow. If 
he had wished to come to her, she would have waited for 
him anywhere, or if he had wished her to go to him, she 
would have gone anywhere ; but it seemed as if that mass 


EDNA MAKES HER PLANS 


199 


of gold, which brought them together, must keep them 
apart, a long time certainly, perhaps always. Nothing 
that had happened had had any element of certainty 
about it, and the future was still less certain. If he had 
come to her before undertaking the perilous voyage now 
before him, there would have been a certainty in her life 
which would have satisfied her forever, but he did not 
come. It was plainly his intention to have nothing to 
do with the present until the future should be settled, 
so far as he could settle it. 

In a few days after she had written to Captain Horn, 
informing him of the plans she had made to go to France, 
Edna received an answer which somewhat disappointed 
her. If the Captain’s concurrence in her proposed foreign 
sojourn had not been so unqualified and complete, if he 
had proposed even some slight modification, if he had 
said anything which would indicate that he felt he had 
authority to oppose her movements if he did not approve 
of them ; in fact, even if he had opposed her plan, she 
would have been better pleased. But he wrote as if 
he were her financial agent, and nothing more. The 
tone of his letter was kind, the arrangements he said 
he had made in regard to the money deposited in San 
Francisco showed a careful concern for her pleasure and 
convenience, but nothing in his letter indicated that he 
believed himself possessed in any way of the slightest 
control over her actions. There was nothing like a 
sting in that kind and generous letter, but when she had 
read it, the great longing of Edna’s heart turned and 
stung her, but she would give no sign of this wound; 
she was a brave woman and could wait still longer. 

The Captain informed her that everything was going 
well with his enterprise; that Burke had arrived and 


200 THE ADVEI^TURES OF CAPTAIK HORN 


had agreed to take part in the expedition ; and that he 
expected that his brig, the '^Miranda,” would be ready- 
in less than a week. He mentioned again that he was 
extremely busy with his operations, but he did not say 
that he was sorry he was unable to come to take leave 
of her. He detailed in full the arrangements he had 
made, and then placed in her hands the entire conduct 
of the financial affairs of the party until she should hear 
from him again. When he arrived in France, he would 
address her in care of his bankers ; but in regard to two 
points only did he say anything which seemed like a 
definite injunction or even request.' He asked Edna to 
urge upon Mrs. Cliff the necessity of saying nothing 
about the discovery of the gold ; for if it should become 
known anywhere from Greenland to Patagonia, he might 
find a steamer lying off the Eackbirds’ cove when his 
slow sailing-vessel should arrive there. The other re- 
quest was that Edna keep the two negroes with her if 
this would not prove inconvenient. But if this plan 
would at all trouble her, he asked that they be sent 
to him immediately. 

In answer to this letter Edna merely telegraphed the 
Captain, informing him that she should remain in San 
Francisco until she had heard that he had sailed, when 
she would immediately start for the East, and to France, 
with Ealph and the two negroes. 

Three days after this she received a telegram from Cap- 
tain Horn, stating that he would sail in an hour, and the 
next day she and her little party took a train for Hew 
York. 


“HOME, SWEET HOME 


201 


>> 


CHAPTEE XXVIII 

“ HOME, SWEET HOME ’’ 

On the high street of the little town of Plainton, 
Maine, stood the neat white house of Mrs. Cliff, with its 
green shutters, its porchless front door, its pretty bit of 
flower garden at the front and side, and its neat back 
yard, sacred once a week to that virtue which is next to 
godliness. 

Mrs. Cliff’s husband had been the leading merchant in 
Plainton, and, having saved some money, he had invested 
it in an enterprise of a friend, who had gone into business 
in Valparaiso. On Mr. Cliff’s death his widow had found 
herself with an income smaller than she had expected, 
and that it was necessary to change in a degree her 
style of living. The hospitalities of her table, once so 
well known throughout the circle of her friends, must 
be curtailed and the spare bedroom must be less fre- 
quently occupied. The two cows and the horse were 
sold, and in every way possible the household was 
placed on a more economical basis. She had a good 
house and an income on which, with care and prudence, 
she could live, but this was all. 

In this condition of her finances it was not strange that 
Mrs. Cliff had thought a good deal about the investments 
in Valparaiso, from which she had not heard for a long 
time. Her husband had been dead for three years, and 
although she had written several times to Valparaiso, she 
had received no answer whatever, and, being a woman of 
energy, she had finally made up her mind that the proper 
thing to do was to go down and see after her affairs. It 
had not been easy for her to get together the money for 


202 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

this long journey, — in fact, she had borrowed some of 
it — and so, to lessen her expenses, she had taken passage 
in the “ Castor ’’ from San Francisco. 

She was a housewife of high degree, and would not 
have thought of leaving — perhaps for months — her im- 
maculate window-panes and her spotless floors and furni- 
ture, had she not also left some one to take care of them. 
A distant cousin. Miss Willy Croup, had lived with her 
since her husband’s death, and though this lady was will- 
ing to stay during Mrs. Cliff’s absence, Mrs. Cliff considered 
her too quiet and inoffensive to be left in entire charge 
of her possessions, and Miss Betty Handshall, a worthy 
maiden of fifty, a little older than Willy, and a much 
more determined character, was asked to come and live in 
Mrs. Cliff’s house until her return. 

Betty was the only person in Plainton who lived on an 
annuity, and she was rather proud of her independent 
fortune, but as her annuity was very small, and as this 
invitation meant a considerable reduction in her expenses, 
she was very glad to accept it. Consequently, Mrs. Cliff 
had gone away feeling that she had left her house in the 
hands of two women almost as neat as herself and even 
more frugal. 

When Mrs. Cliff left Edna and Ealph in San Francisco, 
and went home, nearly all the people in the little town 
who were worth considering gathered in and around her 
house to bid her welcome. They had heard of her ship- 
wreck, but the details had been scanty and unsatisfac- 
tory, and the soul of the town throbbed with curiosity to 
know what had really happened to her. For the first 
few hours of her return, Mrs. Cliff was in a state of 
heavenly ecstasy, everything was so tidy, everything 
was so clean, every face beamed with such genial amity, her 


“HOME, SWEET HOME” 203 

native air was so intoxicating that she seemed to be in a 
sort of paradise. But when her friends and neighbors 
began to ask questions, she felt herself gradually descend- 
ing into a region which, for all she knew, might resemble 
purgatory. 

Of course, there was a great deal that was wonderful 
and startling to relate, and, as Mrs. Cliff was a good story- 
teller, she thrilled the nerves of her hearers with her 
descriptions of the tornado at sea and the Backbirds on 
land, and afterward filled the eyes of many of the women 
with tears of relief as she told of their escapes, their 
quiet life at the caves, and their subsequent rescue by the 
“Mary Bartlett.’’ But it was the cross-examinations 
which caused the soul of the narrator to sink. Of course, 
she had been very careful to avoid all mention of the 
gold mound, but this omission in her narrative proved to 
be a defect which she had not anticipated. As she had 
told that she had lost everything except a few effects she 
had carried with her from the “ Castor,” it was natural 
enough that people should want to know how she had 
been enabled to come home in such good fashion. They 
had expected her to return in a shabby, or even needy, 
condition, and now they had stories of delightful weeks 
at a hotel in San Francisco, and beheld their poor ship- 
wrecked neighbor dressed more handsomely than they 
had ever seen her, and with a new trunk standing in the 
lower hall which must contain something. 

Mrs. Cliff began by telling the truth, and from this 
course she did not intend to depart. She said that the 
Captain of the “Castor” was a just and generous man, 
and, as far as was in his power, he had reimbursed the 
unfortunate passengers for their losses. But, as every one 
knows the richest steamship companies are seldom so 


204 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


generous to persons who may be cast away during trans- 
portation as to offer them long sojourns at hotels with 
private parlors and private servants, and to send them 
home in drawing-room cars, with cloaks trimmed with 
real sealskin, the questions became more and more 
direct, and all Mrs. Cliff could do was to stand with her 
back against the Captain’s generosity, as if it had been a 
rock, and rely upon it for defence. 

But when the neighbors had all gone home, and the 
trunk had to be opened, so that it could be lightened 
before being carried upstairs, the remarks of Willy and 
Betty cut clean to the soul of the unfortunate possessor 
of its contents. Of course, the Captain had not actually 
given her this thing, and that thing, and the other, or the 
next one, but he had allowed her a sum of money, and 
she had expended it according to her own discretion. 
How much that sum of money might have been, Willy 
and Betty did not dare to ask, — for there were limits to 
Mrs. Cliff’s forbearance, — but when they went to bed, 
they consulted together. If it had not been for the pri- 
vate parlor and the drawing-room car, they would have 
limited Captain Horn’s generosity to one hundred dol- 
lars ; but, under the circumstances, that sum would have 
been insufficient, — it must have been nearly, if not quite, 
two hundred. As for Mrs. Cliff, she went to bed regret- 
ting that her reservations had not been more extended, 
and that she had not given the gold mound in the cave 
more company. She hated prevarications and conceal- 
ments, but if she must conceal something, she should 
have concealed more. When the time came when she 
would be free to tell of her good fortune, even if it 
should be no more than she already possessed, then she 
would explain everything, and proudly demand of her 


“HOME, SWEET HOME 


205 




friends and neighbors to put their fingers on a single 
untruth that she had told them. 

For the next day or two, Mrs. Cliff’s joy in living again 
in her own home banished all other feelings, and, as she 
was careful to say nothing to provoke more questions, 
and as those which were still asked became uncertain of 
aim and scattering, her regrets at her want of reticence 
began to fade. But, no matter what she did, where she 
went, or what she looked at, Mrs. Cliff carried about with 
her a millstone. It did not hang from her neck, but it 
was in her pocket. It was not very heavy, but it was a 
burden to her. It was her money — which she wanted to 
spend, but dared not. 

On leaving San Francisco, Edna had wished to give her 
the full amount which the Captain had so far sent her, 
but Mrs. Cliff declined to receive the whole. She did 
not see any strong reason to believe that the Captain 
would ever send any more, and as she had a home, and 
Kalph and Edna had not, she would not take all the 
money that was due her, feeling that they might come to 
need it more than she would. But even with this gener- 
ous self-denial she found herself in Plainton with a 
balance of some thousand dollars in her possession, and 
as much more in Edna’s hands, which the latter had 
insisted that she would hold subject to order. What 
would the neighbors think of Captain Horn’s abnormal 
bounteousness if they knew this ? 

With what a yearning, aching heart Mrs. Cliff looked 
upon the little picket fence which ran across the front of 
her property ! How beautiful that fence would be with a 
new coat of paint, and how perfectly well she could afford 
it ! And there was the little shed that should be over 
the back door, which would keep the sun from the 


206 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


kitchen in summer and in winter the snow. There was 
this in one room and that in another; there were new 
dishes which could exist only in her mind. How much 
domestic gratification there was within her reach, but 
toward which she did not dare to stretch out her hand ! 

There was poor old Mrs. Bradley, who must shortly 
leave the home in which she had lived nearly all her life 
because she could no longer afford to pay the rent. 
There had been an attempt to raise enough money by 
subscription to give the old lady her home for another 
year, but this had not been very successful. Mrs. Cliff 
could easily have supplied the deficit, and it would have 
given her real pleasure to do so, — for she had almost an 
affection for the old lady, — but when she asked to be 
allowed to subscribe, she did not dare to give more than 
one dollar, which was the largest sum upon the list, and 
even then Betty had said that under the circumstances 
she could not have been expected to give anything. 

When she went out into the little barn at the rear of 
the house and saw the empty cow stable, how she longed 
for fresh cream, and butter of her own making; and 
when she gazed upon her little phaeton, which she had 
not sold because no one wanted it, and refiected that her 
good, brown horse could doubtless be bought back for a 
moderate sum, she almost wished that she had come 
home as poor as people thought she ought to be. 

Now and then she ordered something done or spent 
some money in a way that excited the astonishment of 
Willy Croup — the sharper-witted Betty had gone home ; 
for of course Mrs. Cliff could not be expected to be able 
to afford her company now. But in attempting to ac- 
count for these inconsiderable extravagances, Mrs. Cliff 
was often obliged to content herself with admitting that 


207 


“HOME, SWEET HOME” 

while she had been abroad she might have acquired 
some of those habits of prodigality peculiar to our 
Western country. This might be a sufficient excuse 
for the new bottom step to the side door, but how could 
she account for the pair of soft, warm Californian 
blankets which were at the bottom of the trunk and 
which she had not yet taken out even to air ? 

Matters had gone on in this way for nearly a month, — 
every day Mrs. Cliff had thought of some new expendi- 
ture which she could well afford, and every night she 
wished that she dared to put her money in the town 
bank and so be relieved from the necessity of thinking 
so much about door locks and window fastenings, — 
when there came a letter from Edna, informing her of 
the Captain’s safe arrival in Acapulco with the cargo of 
guano and gold, and enclosing a draft which first made 
Mrs. Cliff turn pale, and then compelled her to sit down 
on the floor and cry. The letter related in brief the Cap- 
tain’s adventures, and stated his intention of returning 
for the gold. 

“To think of it,” softly sobbed Mrs. Cliff, after she 
had carefully closed her bedroom door ; “ with this and 
what I am to get, I believe I could buy the bank, and 
yet I can only sit here and try to think of some place to 
hide this dangerous piece of paper.” 

The draft was drawn by a San Francisco house upon a 
Boston bank, and Edna had suggested that it might be 
well for Mrs. Cliff to open an account in the latter city ; 
but the poor lady knew that would never do. A bank 
account in Boston would soon become known to the 
people of Plainton, and what was the use of having an 
account anywhere if she could not draw from it ? Edna 
hg-d not failed to reiterate the necessity of keeping the 


208 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


gold discovery an absolute secret, and every word she 
said upon this point increased Mrs. Cliff’s depression. 

it were only for a fixed time, a month or three 
months, or even six months,” the poor lady said to her- 
self, I might stand it. It would be hard to do without 
all the things I want, and be afraid even to pay the 
money I borrowed to go to South America, but if I knew 
when the day was certainly coming when I could hold up 
my head and let everybody know just what I am, and 
take my proper place in the community, then I might 
wait, but nobody knows how long it will take the Captain 
to get away with that gold. He may have to make ever 
so many voyages, he may meet with wrecks, and dear 
knows what. It may be years before they are ready to 
tell me I am a free woman, and may do what I please 
with my own. I may die in poverty, and leave Mr. 
Cliff’s nephews to get all the good of the draft and the 
money in my trunk upstairs. I suppose they would 
think it came from Valparaiso, and that I had been 
hoarding it. It’s all very well for Edna ; she is going to 
Europe, where Ealph will be educated, I suppose, and 
where she can live as she pleases, and nobody will ask 
her any questions, and she need not answer them if they 
should ; but I must stay here in debt and in actual want 
of the comforts of life, making believe to pinch and to 
save until a sea-captain thousands and thousands of miles 
away shall feel that he is ready to let me put my hand 
in my pocket and spend my riches.” 


A COMMITTEE OF LADIES 


209 


CHAPTER XXIX 

A COMMITTEE OF LADIES 

It was about a week after the receipt of Edna’s letter, 
that Willy Croup came to Mrs. Cliff’s bedroom, where that 
lady had been taking a surreptitious glance at her Cali- 
fornian blankets, to tell her that there were three ladies 
down in the parlor who wished to see her. 

^Ht’s the minister’s wife, and Mrs. Hembold, and old 
Miss Shott,” said Willy; “they are all dressed up, and I 
suppose they have come for something perticuler, so 
you’d better fix up a little afore you go down.” 

In her present state of mind, Mrs. Cliff was ready to 
believe that anybody who came to see her would certainly 
want to know something which she could not tell them, 
and she went down fearfully. But these ladies did not 
come to ask questions; they came to make statements. 
Mrs. Perley, the minister’s wife, opened the interview by 
stating that while she was sorry to see Mrs. Cliff looking 
so pale and worried, she was very glad at the same time 
to be able to say something which might, in some degree, 
relieve her anxiety and comfort her mind, by showing 
her that she was surrounded by friends who could give 
her their heartfelt sympathy in her troubles, and perhaps 
do a little more. 

“We all know,” said Mrs. Perley, “that you have had 
misfortunes, and that they have been of a peculiar kind, 
and none of them owing to your own fault.” 

“We can’t agree exactly to that,” interpolated Miss 
Shott ; “ but I won’t interrupt.” 

“ We all know,” continued Mrs. Perley, “ that it was a 
great loss and disappointment to you uot to be able to 

p 


210 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

get down to Valparaiso and settle your affairs there; for 
we are aware that you need whatever money is due you 
from that quarter, and we understand, too, what a great 
blow it was to you to be shipwrecked, and lose all your 
baggage except a hand-bag.” 

Miss Shott was about to say something here, but Mrs. 
Hembold touched her on the arm, and she waited. 

‘‘It grieves us very much,” continued the minister’s 
wife, “ to think that our dear friend and neighbor should 
come home from her wanderings and perils and priva- 
tions, and find herself in what must be, although we do 
not wish to pry into your private affairs, something of 
an embarrassed condition. We have all stayed at home 
with our friends and our families, and we have had no 
special prosperity, but neither have we met with losses, 
and it grieves us to think that you, who were once as 
prosperous as any of us, should now feel — I should say 
experience — in any manner the pressure of privation.” 

“I don’t understand,” said Mrs. Cliff, sitting up very 
straight in her chair. “Privation? What does that 
mean ? ” 

“ It may not be exactly that,” said Mrs. Perley, quickly, 
“ and we all know very well, Mrs. Cliff, that you are 
naturally sensitive on a point like this ; but you have 
come back shipwrecked and disappointed in your busi- 
ness, and we want to show you that, while we would not 
hurt your feelings for anything in the world, we would 
like to help you a little if we can, just as we would hope 
you would help us if we were in any embarrassment.” 

“ I must say, however — ” remarked Miss Shott ; but she 
was again silenced by Mrs. Hembold, and the minister’s 
wife went on. 

“ To come straight to the point,” said she, “ for a good 


A COMMITTEE OF LADIES 


211 


while we have been wanting to do something, and we did 
not know what to do ; but a few days ago we became 
aware, through Miss Willy Croup, that what was most 
needed in this house is blankets. She said, in fact, that 
the blankets yon had were the same yon bonght when 
yon were first married ; that some of them had been worn 
ont and given to yonr poorer neighbors; and that now 
yon were very short of blankets, and, with cold weather 
coming on, she did not consider that the clothing on your 
own bed was sufficient. She even went so far as to say 
that the blankets she used were very thin, and that she 
did not think they were warm enough for winter. So, 
some of ns have agreed together that we would testify 
our friendship and our sympathy by presenting you with 
a pair of good warm blankets for your own bed; then 
those you have could go to Willy Croup, and you both 
would be comfortable all winter. Of course, what we 
have done has not been upon an expensive scale. We 
have had many calls upon us, — poor old Mrs. Bradley 
for one, — and we could not afford to spend much money ; 
but we have bought you a good pair of blankets, which 
are warm and serviceable, and we hope you will not be 
offended, and we do not believe that you will be, for you 
know our motives ; and all that we ask is, that when you 
are warm and comfortable under our little gift, you will 
sometimes think of us. The blankets are out in the hall, 
and I have no doubt that Miss Willy Croup will bring 
them in.’’ 

Mrs. Cliff’s eyes filled with tears ; she wanted to 
speak, but how could she speak! But she was saved 
from further embarrassment ; for when Willy, who had 
been standing in the doorway, had gone to get the 
blankets, Miss Shott could be restrained no longer. 


212 THE ADVENTHEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


am bound to say/’ sbe began, ^^that while I put 
my money in with the rest to get those blankets, — and 
am very glad to be able to do it, Mrs. Cliff, — I don’t 
think that we ought to do anything which would look as if 
we were giving our countenances to useless extravagances 
in persons, even if they are our friends, who, with but 
small means, think they must live like rich people, sim- 
ply because they happen to be travelling among them. 
It is not for me to allude to hotels, in towns where there 
are good boarding-houses, to vestibule cars and fur- 
trimmed cloaks ; but I will say, that when I am called 
upon to help my friends who need it, I will do it as quick 
as anybody, but I also feel called upon by my conscience 
to lift up my voice against spending for useless things 
what little money a person may have, when that person 
needs that money for — well, for things I shall not men- 
tion. And, now that I have said my say, I am just as 
glad to help give you those blankets, Mrs. Cliff, as any- 
body else is.” 

Every one in the room knew that the thing she would 
not mention was the money Mrs. Cliff had borrowed for 
her passage. Miss Shott had not lent any of it, but her 
brother, a retired carpenter and builder, had, and as his 
sister expected to outlive him, although he was twelve 
years younger than she was, she naturally felt a little 
sore upon this point. 

Now Mrs. Cliff was herself again. She was not embar- 
rassed; she was neither pale nor trembling. With a 
stern severity, not unknown to her friends and neighbors 
in former days, she rose to her feet. 

Nancy Shott,” said she ; “ I don’t know anything that 
makes me feel more at home than to hear you talk like 
that. You are the same woman that never could kiss a 


A coMMrTtE:e of ladies 




baby without wanting to spank it at the same time. I 
know what is the matter with you ; you are thinking 
of that money I borrowed from your brother. Well, I 
borrowed that for a year, and the time is not up yet i but 
when it is. I’ll pay it, every cent of it, and interest added. 
I knew what I was about when I borrowed it, and I know 
what I am about now; and if I get angry and pay it 
before it becomes due, he will lose that much interest 
and he can charge it to you. That is all I have to say 
to you. 

As for you, Mrs. Perley, and the other persons who 
gave me these blankets, I want you to feel that I am just 
as grateful as if — just as grateful as I can be, and far 
more for the friendliness than for the goods. I won’t say 
anything more about that and it isn’t necessary, but I 
must say one thing. I am ready to take the blankets and 
to thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I will not 
have them unless the money Miss Shott put in is given 
back to her. Whatever that was, I will make it up my- 
self, and I hope I may be excused for saying that I don’t 
believe it will break me.” 

Now there was a scene. Miss Shott rose in anger and 
marched out of the house. Mrs. Perley and the other 
lady expostulated with Mrs. Cliff for a time, but they 
knew her very well, and soon desisted. Twenty-five cents 
was handed to Mrs. Perley to take the place of the sum 
contributed by Miss Shott, and the ladies departed, and 
the blankets were taken upstairs. Mrs. Cliff gave one 
glance at them as Willy Croup spread them out. 

If those women could see my Californian blankets ! ” 
she said to herself, but to Willy she said, They are very 
nice, and you may put them away.” 

Then she went to her own room and went to bed. This 


214 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


last shock was too much for her nerves to bear. In the 
afternoon Willy brought her some tea, but the poor lady 
would not get up. So long as she stayed in bed, people 
could be kept away from her, but there was nowhere else 
where she could be in peace. 

All night she lay and thought and thought and thought. 
What should she do ? She could not endure this condi- 
tion of things. There was only one relief that presented 
itself to her ; she might go to Mr. Perley, her minister, 
and confide everything to him. He would tell her what 
she ought to do. 

“ But,’’ she thought, ‘‘ suppose he should say it should 
all go to the Peruvians ! ” And then she had more think- 
ing to do, based upon this contingency, which brought on 
a headache, and she remained in bed all the next day. 
The next morning, Willy Croup, who had begun to regret 
that she had ever said anything about blankets, — but 
how could she have imagined that anybody could be so 
cut up at what that old Shott woman had said ? — brought 
Mrs. Cliff a letter. 

This was from Edna, stating that she and Balph and 
the two negroes had just arrived in New York, from 
which point they were to sail for Havre. Edna wished 
very much to see Mrs. Cliff before she left the country, 
and wrote that if it would be convenient for that lady, 
she would run up to Plainton and stay a day or two with 
her. There would be time enough for this before the 
steamer sailed. When she read this brief note, Mrs. Cliff 
sprang out of bed. 

“ Edna come here ! ” she exclaimed. That would be 
simply ruin ! But I must see her. I must tell her every- 
thing, and let her help me.” 

As soon as she was dressed she went downstairs and 


A COMMITTEE OF LADIES 


215 


told Willy that she would start for New York that very 
afternoon. She had received a letter from ]\Irs. Horn, 
and it was absolutely necessary to see her before she 
sailed. With only a small leather bag in her hand, and 
nearly all her ready money and her peace-destroying draft 
sewed up inside the body of her dress, she left Plainton, 
and when her friends and neighbors heard that she had 
gone, they could only ascribe such a sudden departure to 
the strange notions she had imbibed in foreign parts. 
When Plainton people contemplated a journey, they told 
everybody about it and took plenty of time to make prep- 
arations, but South Americans and Californians would 
start anywhere at a moment’s notice. People had thought 
that Mrs. Cliff was too old to be influenced by association 
in that way, but it was plain that they had been mistaken, 
and there were those who were very much afraid that 
even if the poor lady had got whatever ought to be com- 
ing to her from the Valparaiso business, it would have 
been of little use to her. Her old principles of economy 
and prudence must have been terribly shaken. This very 
journey to New York would probably cost twenty dollars ! 

When Mrs. Cliff entered Edna’s room in a New York 
hotel, the latter was startled, almost frightened. She had 
expected her visitor, for she had had a telegram, but she 
scarcely recognized at the first glance the pale and hag- 
gard woman who had come to her. 

Sick ! ” exclaimed poor Mrs. Cliff, as she sank upon a 
sofa. Yes, I am sick, but not in body, only in heart. 
Well, it is hard to tell you what is the matter. The near- 
est I can get to it is that it is wealth struck in as measles 
sometimes strike in when they ought to come out prop- 
erly, and one is just as dangerous as the other.” 

When Mrs. Cliff had had something to eat and di-ink 


216 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


and had begun to tell her tale, Edna listened with great 
interest and sympathy; but when the good lady had 
nearly finished and was speaking of her resolution to 
confide everything to Mr. Perley, Edna’s gaze at her 
friend became very intent and her hands tightly grasped 
the arms of the chair in which she was sitting. 

^^Mrs. Cliff,” said she, when the other had finished, 
there is but one thing for you to do; you must go to 
Europe with us.” 

^^Now!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff; ^^in the steamer you 
have engaged passage in ? Impossible ! I could not go 
home and settle up everything and come back in time.” 

But you must not go home,” said Edna ; you must 
not think of it. Your troubles would begin again as soon 
as you got there. You must stay here and go when we do.” 

Mrs. Cliff stared at her. But I have only a bag and 
the clothes I have on. I am not ready for a voyage. And 
there’s the house with nobody but Willy in it. Don’t you 
see it would be impossible for me to go ? ” 

What you need for the passage,” said Edna, you can 
buy here in a few hours, and everything else you can get 
on the other side a great deal cheaper and better than 
here. As to your house, you can write to that other lady 
to go there and stay with Miss Croup until you come 
back. I tell you, Mrs. Cliff, that all these things have 
become mere trifles to you. I dare say you could buy 
another house such as you own in Plainton and scarcely 
miss the money. Compared to your health and happi- 
ness, the loss of that house, even if it should burn up 
while you are away, would be as a penny thrown to a 
beggar.” 

^^And there is my new trunk,” said Mrs. Cliff, ^^with 
my blankets and ever so many things locked up in it.” 


AT THE HOTEL HOlLEAtT 


217 


“ Let it stay there,” said Edna ; yon will not need the 
blankets, and I don’t believe any one will pick the lock.” 

But how shall I explain my running away in such a 
fashion ? What will they all think ? ” 

“Simply write,” said Edna, “that you are going to 
Europe as companion to Mrs. Horn. If they think you 
are poor, that will explain everything ; and you may add, 
if you choose, that Mrs. Horn is so anxious to have you 
she will take no denial, and it is on account of her earnest 
entreaties that you are unable to go home and take leave 
in a proper way of your friends.” 

It was half an hour afterward that Mrs. Cliff said : 
“Well, Edna, I will go with you, but I can tell you 
this, I would gladly give up all the mountains and palaces 
I may see in Europe if I could go back to Plainton this 
day, deposit my money in the Plainton bank, and then 
begin to live according to my means. That would be a 
joy that nothing else on this earth could give me.” 

Edna laughed. “ All you have to do,” she said, “ is to 
be patient and wait a while, and then, when you go back 
like a queen to Plainton, you will have had your moun- 
tains and your palaces besides.” 


CHAPTER XXX 

AT THE HOTEL BOILEAU 

It was early in December, — two months after the 
departure of Edna and her little party from New York, 
— and they were all comfortably domiciled in the Hotel 
Boileau, in a quiet street, not far from the Boulevard 


218 THE ADYENTHRES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


des Italiens. This house, to which they came soon after 
their arrival in Paris, might be considered to belong to 
the family order, but its grade was much higher than 
that of the hotel in which they had lived in San Fran- 
cisco. As in the former place, they had private apart- 
ments, a private table, and the service of their own 
colored men, in addition to that of the hotel servants, 
but their salon was large and beautifully furnished ; their 
meals were cooked by a French chef; every one, from 
the lordly porter to the quick-footed chambermaid, served 
them with a courteous interest ; and Mrs. Cliff said that, 
although their life in the two hotels seemed to be in the 
main the same sort of life, they were, in reality, as dif- 
ferent as an old, dingy, mahogany bureau, just dragged 
from an attic, and that same piece of furniture when it 
had been rubbed down, oiled, and varnished ; and Ralph 
declared that, so far as he knew anything about it, there 
was nothing like the air of Paris to bring out the tones 
and colorings and veinings of hotel life. But the great- 
est difference between the former and present condition 
of this little party lay in the fact that in San Francisco 
its principal member was Mrs. Philip Horn, while in 
Paris it was Miss Edna Markham. 

This change of name had been the result of nights 
of thought and hours of consultation. In San Francisco, 
Edna felt herself to be Mrs. Horn as truly as if they 
had been married at high noon in one of the city 
churches, but, although she could see no reason to 
change her faith in the reality of her conjugal status, 
she had begun to fear that Captain Horn might have 
different views upon the subject. This feeling had been 
brought about by the tone of his letters. If he should 
die, those letters might prove that she was then his 


AT THE HOTEL BOILEAH 


219 


widow, but it was plain that lie did not wish, to impress 
upon her mind that she was now his wife. 

If she had remained in San Francisco, Edna would have 
retained the Captain’s name. There she was a stranger, 
and Captain Horn was well known. His agents knew her 
as Mrs. Horn, the people of the Mary Bartlett ” knew 
her as such, and she should not have thought of resigning 
it. But in Paris the case was very different. There she 
had friends, and expected to make more, and in that city 
she was quite sure that Captain Horn was very little 
known. 

Edna’s Parisian friends were all Americans, and some 
of them people of consideration, one of her old school- 
mates being the wife of a Secretary of the American 
Legation. Could she appear before these friends as 
Mrs. Captain Philip Horn, feeling that not only was 
she utterly unable to produce Captain Horn, but that she 
might never be able to do so ? Should the Captain not 
return, and should she have proofs of his death, or suffi- 
cient reason to believe it, she might then do as she pleased 
about claiming her place as his widow. But should he 
return, he should not find that she had trammelled and 
impeded his plans and purposes by announcing herself 
as his wife. She did not expect ever to live in San Fran- 
cisco again, and in no other place need she be known as 
Mrs. Horn. 

As to the business objects of her exceptional marriage, 
they were, in a large degree, already attained. The money 
Captain Horn had remitted to her in San Francisco was 
a sum so large as to astound her, and when she reached 
Paris she lost no time in depositing her funds under her 
maiden name. For the sake of security, some of the 
money was sent to a London banker, and in Paris she 


220 THE ADVENTURES OF CAFTAIN HORN 


did not deposit with the banking house which Captain 
Horn had mentioned. But directions were left with that 
house that if a letter ever came to Mrs. Philip Horn, it 
was to be sent to her in care of Mrs. Cliff, and to facili- 
tate the reception of such a letter, Mrs. Cliff made Wrax- 
ton, Fuguet & Co. her bankers and all her letters were 
addressed to them ; but at Edna’s bankers she was known 
as Miss Markham, and her only Parisian connection with 
the name of Horn was through Mrs. Cliff. 

The amount of money now possessed by Edna was, 
indeed, a very fair fortune for her without regarding it, 
as Captain Horn had requested, as a remittance to be used 
as a year’s income. In his letters accompanying his remit- 
tances the Captain had always spoken of them as her share 
of the gold brought away, and in this respect he treated 
her exactly as he treated Mrs. Cliff, and in only one 
respect had she any reason to infer that the money was 
in any manner a contribution from himself. In making 
her divisions according to his directions, her portion was 
so much greater than that of the others, Edna imagined 
Captain Horn sent her his share as well as her own. But 
of this she did not feel certain, and should he succeed in 
securing the rest of the gold in the mound, she did not 
know what division he would make. Consequently, this 
little thread of a tie between herself and the Captain, 
woven merely of some hypothetical arithmetic, was but a 
cobweb of a thread. The resumption of her maiden 
name had been stoutly combated by both Mrs. Cliff and 
Ealph. The first firmly insisted upon the validity of the 
marriage, so long as the Captain did not appear, but she 
did not cease to insist that the moment he did appear, 
there should be another ceremony. 

^^But,” said Edna, ^^you know that Cheditafa’s cere- 


AT THE HOTEL BOILEATJ 


221 


mony was performed simply for the purpose of securing 
to me, in case of his loss on that boat trip, a right to claim 
the benefit of his discovery. If he should come back, he 
can give me all the benefit I have a right to claim from 
that discovery, just as he gives you your share, without 
the least necessity of a civilized marriage. Now would 
you advise me to take a step which would seem to force 
upon him the necessity for such a marriage ? ” 

said Mrs. Cliff; “but all your reasoning is on a 
wrong basis. I haven’t the least doubt in the world; 
I don’t see how any one can have a doubt, that the 
Captain intends to come back and claim you as his wife ; 
and if anything more be necessary to make you such, as 
I consider there would be, he would be as ready as any- 
body to do it. And, Edna, if you could see yourself, not 
merely as you look in the glass, but as he would see you, 
you would know that he would be as ready as any of us 
would wish him to be. And how will he feel, do you 
suppose, when he finds that you renounce him and are 
going about under your maiden name ? ” 

In her heart Edna answered that she hoped he might 
feel very much as she had felt when he did not come to 
see her in San Erancisco, but to Mrs. Cliff she said she 
had no doubt that he would fully appreciate her reasons 
for assuming her old name. 

Kalph’s remarks were briefer, and more to the point. 

“He married you,” he said, “the best way he could 
under the circumstances, and wrote to you as his wife, 
and in San Francisco you took his name. Now, if he 
comes back and says you are not his wife. I’ll kill him.” 

“ If I were you, Kalph,” said his sister, “ I wouldn’t do 
that. In fact, I may say I would disapprove of any such 
proceeding.” 


222 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Oh, you can laugh,’’ said he, but it makes no differ- 
ence to me. I shall take the matter into my own hands 
if he repudiates that contract.” 

But suppose I give him no chance to repudiate it ? ” 
said Edna. Suppose he finds me Miss Edna Markham, 
and finds, also, that I wish to continue to be that lady ? 
If what has been done has any force at all, it can easily 
be set aside by law.” 

Ralph rose and walked up and down the floor, his 
hands thrust deep into his pockets. 

^‘That’s just like a woman,” he said. ^^They are 
always popping up new and different views of things, 
and that is a view I hadn’t thought of. Is that what 
you intend to do ? ” 

^‘No,” said Edna; ^^I do not intend to do anything. 
All I wish is to hold myself in such a position that I 
can act when the time comes to act.” 

Ralph took the whole matter to bed with him in order 
to think over it. He did a great deal more sleeping than 
thinking, but in the morning he told Edna he believed 
she was right. 

^^But one thing is certain,” he said, ^^even if that 
heathen marriage should not be considered legal, it was 
a solemn ceremony of engagement, and nobody can deny 
that. It was something like a caveat which people get 
before a regular patent is issued for an invention, and if 
you want him to do it, he should stand up and do it ; but 
if you don’t, that’s your business. But let me give you 
a piece of advice : wherever you go and whatever you do, 
until this matter is settled, be sure to carry around that 
two-legged marriage certificate called Cheditafa. He 
can speak a good deal of English now if there should be 
any dispute.” 


AT THE HOTEL BOILEAU 


223 


Dispute ! cried Edna, indignantly. “ What are you 
thinking of ? Do you suppose I would insist or dispute 
in such a matter ? I thought you knew me better than 
that.” 

Ralph sighed. If you could understand how dread- 
fully hard it is to know you,” he said, “ you wouldn’t be 
so severe on a poor fellow if he happened to make a mis- 
take now and then.” 

When Mrs. Cliff found that Edna had determined upon 
her course, she ceased her opposition and tried, good 
woman as she was, to take as satisfactory a view of the 
matter as she could find reason for. 

It would be a little rough,” she said, “ if your friends 
were to meet you as Mrs. Horn, and you would be obliged 
to answer questions. I have had experience in that sort 
of thing. And looking at it in that light, I don’t know 
but what you are right, Edna, in defending yourself 
against questions until you are justified in answering 
them. To have to admit that you are not Mrs. Horn 
after you had said you were, would be dreadful, of course. 
But the other would be all plain sailing ; you would go 
and be married properly, and that would be the end of 
it ; and even if you were obliged to assert your claims as 
his widow, there would be no objection to saying that 
there had been reasons for not announcing the marriage. 
But there is another thing; how are you going to ex- 
plain your prosperous condition to your friends ? When 
I was in Plainton, I thought of you as so much better off 
than myself in this respect ; for over here there would be 
no one to pry into your affairs. I did not know you had 
friends in Paris.” 

All that need not trouble me in the least,” said Edna. 

When I went to school with Edith Southall, who is now 


224 THE ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Mrs. Sylvester, my father was in a very good business, 
and we lived handsomely. It was not until I was nearly 
grown up that he failed and died, and then Ealph and I 
went to Cincinnati, and my life of hard work began, so 
you see there is no reason why my friends in Paris should 
ask any questions, or I should make explanations.” 

“ I wish it were that way in Plainton,” said Mrs. Cliff, 
with a sigh. I would go back there the moment another 
ship started from France.” 

So it was Miss Edna Markham, of New York, who took 
apartments at the Hotel Boileau, and it was she who called 
upon the wife of the American Secretary of Legation. 


CHAPTEE XXXI 

WAITING 

For several weeks after their arrival, the members of 
the little party had but one common object, — to see and 
enjoy the wonders and beauties of Paris, — and in their 
sight-seeing they nearly always went together, sometimes 
taking Cheditafa and Mok with them. But as time went 
on, their different dispositions began to assert themselves, 
and in their daily pursuits they gradually drifted apart. 

Mrs. Cliff was not a cultivated woman, but she had a 
good, common-sense appreciation of art in its various 
forms. She would tramp with untiring step through the 
galleries of the Louvre, but when she had seen a gallery, 
she did not care to visit it again. She went to the 
theatre and the opera because she wanted to see how 
they acted and sang in France, but she did not wish to 


WAITING 


225 


go often to a place where she could not understand a 
word that was spoken. 

Ralph was now under the charge of a tutor, Professor 
Barre by name, who took a great interest in this Ameri- 
can boy, whose travels and experiences had given him a 
precocity which the Professor had never met with in any 
of his other scholars. Ralph would have much pre- 
ferred to study Paris instead of books, and the Pro- 
fessor, who was able to give a great deal of time to his 
pupil, did not altogether ignore this natural instinct of a 
youthful heart. In consequence, the two became very 
good friends, and Ralph was the best-satisfied member of 
the party. 

It was in regard to social affairs that the lives of Edna 
and Mrs. Cliff diverged most frequently. Through the 
influence of Mrs. Sylvester, a handsome woman with a 
vivacious intelligence which would have made her con- 
spicuous in any society, Edna found that social engage- 
ments, not only in diplomatic circles and in those of the 
American Colony, but to some extent in Parisian society, 
were coming upon her much more rapidly than she had 
expected. The Secretary’s wife was proud of her coun- 
trywoman, and glad to bring her forward in social func- 
tions. Into this new life Edna entered as if it had been 
a gallery she had not yet visited, or a museum which she 
saw for the first time. She studied it and enjoyed the 
study. 

But only in a limited degree did Mrs. Cliff enjoy 
society in Paris. To be sure, it was only in a limited 
degree that she had been asked to do it. Even with a 
well-filled purse and all the advantages of Paris at her 
command, she was nothing more than a plain and highly 
respectable woman from a country town in Maine. More 
9 


226 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

than this silks and velvets could not make her, and more 
than this she did not wish to be. As Edna’s friend and 
companion, she had been kindly received at the Legation, 
but after attending two or three large gatherings, she con- 
cluded that she would wait until her return to Plainton 
before she entered upon any further social exercises. 
But she was not at all dissatisfied or homesick. She 
preferred Plainton to all places in the world, but that 
little town should not see her again until she could 
exhibit her Californian blankets to her friends, and tell 
them where she got the money to buy them. 

Blankets ! ” she said to herself ; I am afraid they 
will hardly notice them when they see the other things I 
shall take back there.” 

With society, especially such society as she could not 
enjoy, Mrs. Cliff could easily dispense. So long as the 
shops of Paris were open to her, the delights of these 
wonderful marts satisfied the utmost cravings of her 
heart; and as she had a fine mind for bargaining, and 
plenty of time on her hands, she was gradually accumu- 
lating a well-chosen stock of furnishings and adorn- 
ments, not only for her present house in Plainton, but 
for the large and handsome addition to it which she 
intended to build on an adjoining lot. These schemes 
for establishing herself in Plainton, as a wealthy citizen, 
did not depend on the success of Captain Horn’s present 
expedition. What Mrs. Cliff already possessed was a 
fortune sufficient for the life she desired to lead in her 
native town. What she was waiting for was the privi- 
lege of going back and making that fortune known. As 
to the increase of her fortune, she had but small belief. 
If it should come, she might change her plans, but the 
claims of the native Peruvians should not be forgotten. 


WAITING 


227 


Even if the present period of secrecy should be termi- 
nated by the news of the non-success of Captain Horn, 
she intended to include, among her expenses, a periodical 
remittance to some charitable association in Peru for the 
benefit of the natives. 

The Christmas holidays passed, January was half 
gone, and Edna had received no news from Captain 
Horn. She had hoped that before leaving South America 
and beginning his long voyage across the Atlantic, he 
would touch at some port from which he might send her 
a letter, which, coming by steamer, would reach her 
before she could expect the arrival of the brig, but 
no letter had come. She had arranged with a commer- 
cial agency to telegraph to her the moment the ‘‘ Miranda” 
should arrive in any French port, but no message had 
come, and no matter what else she was doing, it seemed 
to Edna as if she were always expecting such a message. 
Sometimes she thought that this long delay must mean 
disaster, and at such times she immediately set to work to 
reason out the matter ; from Acapulco to Cape Horn, up 
through the South Atlantic and the Horth Atlantic to 
France, was a long voyage for a sailing-vessel, and to the 
time necessary for this she must add days, and perhaps 
weeks, of labor at the caves, besides all sorts of delays 
on the voyage. Like Kalph, she had an unbounded faith 
in the Captain. He might not bring her one bar of gold, 
he might meet with all sorts of disasters ; but, whenever 
her mind was in a healthy condition, she expected him to 
come to France as he had said he would. 

She now began to feel that she was losing a great deal 
of time. Paris was all very well, but it was not every- 
thing. When news should come to her, it might be 
necessary for her to go to America; she could not tell 


228 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

what would be necessary, and she might have to leave 
Europe with nothing but Paris to remember. There was 
no good objection to travel on the continent; for, if the 

Miranda’^ should arrive while she was not in Paris, 
she would not be so far away that a telegram could not 
quickly bring her back. So she listened to Mrs. Cliff 
and her own desires, and the party journeyed to Italy by 
the way of Geneva and Berne. 

Ealph was delighted with the change; for Professor 
Barre, his tutor, had consented to go with them, and, 
during these happy days in Italy, he was the preceptor 
of the whole party. They went to but few places that 
he had not visited before, and they saw but little that 
he could not talk about to their advantage. But, no mat- 
ter what they did, every day Edna expected a message, 
and every day, except Sunday, she went to the bankers to 
look over the maritime news in the newspapers, and she 
so arranged her affairs that she could start for France at 
an hour’s notice. 

But although Edna had greatly enjoyed the Italian 
journey, it came to an end at last, and it was with feel- 
ings of satisfaction that she settled down again in Paris. 
Here she was in the centre of things, ready for news, 
ready for arrivals, ready to go anywhere or do anything 
that might be necessary, and, more than that, there was a 
delightful consciousness that she had seen something of 
Switzerland and Italy, and without having missed a tele- 
gram by being away. 

The party did not return to the Hotel Boileau. Edna 
now had a much better idea of the continental manage 
than she had brought with her from America, and she 
believed that she had not been living up to the standard 
that Captain Horn had desired. She wished in every 


WAITING 


229 


way to conform to his requests, and one of these had been 
that she should consider the money he had sent her as 
income, and not as property. It was hard for her to 
fulfil this injunction ; for her mind was as practical as that 
of Mrs. Cliff, and she could not help considering the future, 
and the probability of never receiving an addition to the 
funds she now had on deposit in London and Paris. But 
her loyalty to the man who had put her into possession 
of that money was superior to her feelings of prudence 
and thrift. When he came to Paris, he should find her 
living as he wanted her to live. It was not necessary to 
spend all she had, but, whether he came back poor or 
rich, he should see that she had believed in him and in 
his success. 

The feeling of possible disaster had almost left her. 
The fears that had come to her had caused her to reason 
upon the matter ; and the more she reasoned, the better 
she convinced herself that a long period of waiting with- 
out news was to be expected in the case of an adventure 
such as that in which Captain Horn was engaged. There 
was, perhaps, another reason for her present state of mind, 
a reason which she did not recognize, — she had become 
accustomed to waiting. 

It was at a grand hotel that the party now established 
themselves, the space, the plate glass, the gilt, and the 
general splendor of which made Ralph exclaim in wonder 
and admiration. 

You would better look out, Edna,” said he, or it will 
not be long before we find ourselves living over in the 
Latin quarter, and taking our meals at a restaurant where 
you pay a sou for the use of the napkins.” 

Edna’s disposition demanded that her mode of life 
should not be ostentatious, but she conformed in many 


230 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


ways to the style of her hotel. There were returns of 
hospitality, there was a liveried coachman when they 
drove, there was a general freshening of wardrobes, and 
even Cheditafa and Mok had new clothes, designed by 
an artist, to suit their positions. 

If Captain Horn should come to Paris, he should not 
find that she had doubted his success, or him. 

After the return from Italy, Mrs. Cliff began to chafe 
and worry under her restrictions. She had obtained 
from Europe all she wanted at present, and there was so 
much in Plainton she was missing. Oh, if she could 
only go there and avow her financial condition ! She lay 
awake at night thinking of the opportunities that were 
slipping from her. Erom the letters that Willy Croup 
wrote her, she knew that people were coming to the front 
in Plainton who ought to be on the back seats, and that 
she, who could occupy, if she chose, the best place, was 
thought of only as a poor widow who was companion to 
a lady who was travelling. It made her grind her teeth 
to think of the way that Miss Shott was talking of her, 
and it was not long before she made up her mind that 
she ought to speak to Edna on the subject; and she 
did so. 

Go home ! ” exclaimed the latter. Why, Mrs. Cliff, 
that would be impossible just now. You could not go to 
Plainton without letting people know where you got your 
money.’’ 

“ Of course I couldn’t,” said Mrs. Cliff, and I wouldn’t. 
There have been times when I have yearned so much for 
my home that I thought it might be possible for me to 
go there and say that the Valparaiso affair had turned 
out splendidly, and that was how I got my money ; but I 
couldn’t do it. I could not stand up before my minister 


WAITING 


231 


and offer to refurnish, the parsonage parlor with such a 
lie as that on my lips. But there is no use in keeping 
back the real truth any longer. It is more than eight 
months since Captain Horn started out for that treasure, 
and it is perfectly reasonable to suppose either that lie 
has got it, or that he never will get it, and in either one 
of these cases it will not do any injury to anybody if we 
let people know about the money we have, and where it 
came from.’’ 

But it may do very great injury,” said Edna. Cap- 
tain Horn may have been able to take away only a part 
of it, and may now be engaged in getting the rest. There 
are many things which may have happened, and if we 
should now speak of that treasure, it might ruin all his 
plans.” 

^^If he has half of it,” said Mrs. Cliff, ^^he ought to 
be satisfied with that, and not keep us here on pins and 
needles until he gets the rest. Of course, I do not want 
to say anything that would pain you, Edna, and I won’t 
do it, but people can’t help thinking, and I think that we 
have waited as long as our consciences have any right to 
ask us to wait.” 

“ I know what you mean,” replied Edna, but it does 
not give me pain. I do not believe that Captain Horn 
has perished, and I certainly expect soon to hear from 
him.” 

You have been expecting that a long time,” said the 
other. 

Yes, and I shall expect it for a good while yet. I 
have made up my mind that I shall not give up my 
belief that Captain Horn is alive and will come or write 
to us, until we have positive news of his death, or until 
one year has passed since he left Acapulco. Considering 


2B2 THE ABVENTtTRES OE CAPTAIN HORN 


what he has done for ns, Mrs. Cliff, I think it very little 
for us to wait one year before we betray the trust he has 
placed in us, and, merely for the sake of carrying out our 
own plans a little sooner, utterly ruin the plans he has 
made, and which he intends as much for our benefit as 
for his own.” 

Mrs. Cliff said no more, but she thought that was all 
very well for Edna, who was enjoying herself in a way 
that suited her, but it was very different for her. 

In her heart of hearts, Mrs. Cliff now believed they 
would never see Captain Horn again. “ For if he were 
alive,” she said to herself, “he would certainly have 
contrived in some way or other to send some sort of a 
message. With the whole world covered with post routes 
and telegraph wires it would be simply impossible for 
Captain Horn and those two sailors to keep absolutely 
silent and unheard-of for such a long time, — unless,” she 
continued, hesitating even in her thoughts, “they don’t 
want to be heard from.” But the good lady would not 
allow her mind to dwell on that proposition, it was too 
dreadful ! 

And so Edna waited and waited, hoping day by day 
for good news from Captain Horn, and so Mrs. Cliff waited 
and waited, hoping for news from Captain Horn — good 
news if possible — but in any case something certain and 
definite, something that would make them know what 
sort of life they were to lead in this world, and make 
them free to go and live it. 


A mariner’s wits take a little flight 233 


CHAPTER XXXII 

A mariner’s wits take a little flight 

When Captain Horn, in the brig Miranda,” with the 
American sailors, Burke and Shirley, and the four negroes, 
left Acapulco on the sixteenth of September, he might 
have been said to have sailed in ballast,” as the only 
cargo he carried was a large number of coffee bags. 
He had cleared for Rio Janeiro, at which port he 
intended to touch and take on board a small cargo of 
coffee, deeming it better to arrive in France with some- 
thing more than the auriferous mineral matter with which 
he hoped to replace a large portion of discarded ballast. 
The unusual cargo of empty coffee bags was looked upon 
by the customs officials as a bit of Yankee thrift, it being 
likely enough that the Captain could obtain coffee bags 
in Mexico much cheaper than in Rio Janeiro. 

The voyage to the Peruvian coast was a slow one, the 
Miranda ” proving to be anything but a clipper, and the 
winds were seldom in her favor. But at last she rounded 
Aguja Point and the Captain shaped his course toward 
the coast and the Rackbirds’ cove, the exact position of 
which was now dotted on his chart. 

A little after noon on a quiet October day, they drew 
near enough to land to recognize the coast-line and the 
various landmarks of the locality. The negroes were 
filled with surprise and afterwards with fright ; for they 
had had no idea that they were going near the scene of 
their former horrible captivity. From time to time they 
had debated among themselves the intentions of Captain 
Horn in regard to them, and now the idea seized them 
that perhaps he was going to leave them where he had 


234 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


found them. But through Maka, who, at first, was as 
much frightened as the rest, the Captain succeeded in 
assuring them that he was merely going to stop as near 
as possible to the cave, where he had stayed so long, to 
get some of his property which it had been impossible to 
take away when the rest of the party left. Maka had 
great confidence in the Captain’s word, and he was able 
to infuse a good deal of this into the minds of the thi-ee 
other negroes. 

Captain Horn had been in considerable doubt in regard 
to the best method of shipping the treasure, should he be 
so fortunate as to find it as he had left it. The cove was 
a quiet harbor in which the small boats could easily ply 
between the vessel and the shore, but in this case the 
gold must be carried by tedious journeys along the beach. 
On the other hand, if the brig lay too near the entrance 
to the caves, the treasure-laden boats must be launched 
through the surf, and, in case of high seas, this opera- 
tion might be hazardous ; consequently, he determined to 
anchor in the Eackbirds’ cove, and submit to the delay and 
inconvenience of the land transportation of the gold. 

When the Captain and Shirley went ashore in a boat, 
nothing was seen to indicate that any one had visited the 
spot, since the last cargo of guano had been shipped. 
This was a relief, but when the Captain had wandered 
through the place, and even examined the storehouse of 
the Eackbirds, he found to his regret that it was too late 
for him to visit the caves that day. This was the occa- 
sion of a night of wakefulness and unreasonable anxiety 
unreasonable, as the Captain assured himself over and 
over again, but still impossible to dissipate. No man 
who has spent weeks in pursuit of a royal treasure, in a 
vessel that at times seemed hardly to creep, could fail 


A mahiner’s wits take a little flight 235 


to be anxious and excited when be is compelled to pause 
within a few miles of that treasure. 

But early in the morning the Captain started for the 
caves. He took with him Shirley and Maka, leaving the 
brig in charge of Burke. The Captain placed great con- 
fidence in Shirley, who was a quiet, steady man ; in fact, 
he trusted every one on the ship, for there was nothing 
else to do. If any of them should prove false to him, 
he hoped to be able to defend himself against them, and 
it would be more than foolish to trouble his mind with 
apprehensions until there should be some reason for 
them. But there was a danger to be considered, quite 
different from the criminal cupidity which might be pro- 
voked by companionship with the heap of gold, and this 
was the spirit of angry disappointment which might be 
looked for should no heap of gold be found. At the 
moment of such possible disappointment, the Captain 
wanted to have with him a man not given to suspicions 
and resentments. 

In fact, the Captain thought, as the little party strode 
along the beach, that if he should find the mound empty 
— and he could not drive from his mind that once he 
had found it uncovered, — he wished to have with him 
some one who would back him up a little in case he 
should lower his lantern into a goldless void. 

As they walked up the plateau in the path, worn prin- 
cipally by his own feet, and the Captain beheld the great 
stone face against the wall of rock, his mind became 
quieter. He slackened his pace, and even began to con- 
coct some suitable remarks to make to Shirley in case of 
evil fortune. 

Shirley looked about him with great interest. He had 
left the place before the great stone face had been re- 


236 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


vealed by the burning of the vines, and he would have 
been glad to stop for a minute and examine it; but 
although Captain Horn had convinced himself that he 
was in no hurry, he could not allow delay. Lighting a 
lantern, they went through the passage-way and entered 
the great cave of the lake, leaving Maka rummaging around 
with eager delight through the rocky apartments where 
he had once been a member of a domestic household. 

When they reached the mound, the Captain handed 
his lantern to Shirley, telling him to hold it high, and 
quickly clambered to the top. 

“ Good ! ’’ he exclaimed. The lid is just as I left it. 
Come up ! ” 

In a moment Shirley was at his side, and the Captain 
with his pocket knife began to pick out the oakum which 
he had packed around the edges of the lid ; for otherwise 
it would have been impossible for him to move it. Then 
he stood up and raised the lid, putting it to one side. 

Give me the lantern ! ” he shouted, and, stooping, he 
lowered it and looked in. The gold in the mound was 
exactly as he had left it. 

“ Hurrah ! ” he cried. How you take a look ! ” and he 

handed the lantern to his companion. 

Shirley crawled a little nearer the opening and looked 
into it, then lowered the lantern and put his head down 
so that it almost disappeared. He remained in this posi- 
tion for nearly a minute, and the Captain gazed at him 
with a beaming face. His whole system, relieved from 
the straining bonds of doubt and fear and hope, was bask- 
ing in a flood of ecstatic content. 

Suddenly Shirley began to swear. He was not a pro- 
fane man and seldom swore, but now the oaths rolled 
from him in a manner that startled the Captain. 


A mariner's wits take a little flight 237 


Get up/’ said lie ; haven’t you seen enough ? ” 

Shirley raised his head, but still kept his eyes on the 
treasure beneath him and swore worse than before. The 
Captain was shocked. 

What is the matter with you ? ” said he. Give me 
the lantern. I don’t see anything to swear at.” 

Shirley did not hand him the lantern, but the Captain 
took it from him, and then he saw that the man was very 
pale. 

Look out ! ” he cried. “ You’ll slip down and break 
your bones.” 

In fact, Shirley’s strength seemed to have forsaken 
him, and he was on the point of either slipping down the 
side of the mound or tumbling into the open cavity. 
The Captain put down the lantern and moved quickly to 
his side and with some difficulty managed to get him 
safely to the ground. He seated him with his back 
against the mound, and then, while he was unscrewing 
the top of a whiskey flask, Shirley began to swear again 
in a most violent and rapid way. 

He has gone mad,” thought the Captain ; the sight 
of all that gold has crazed him.” 

Stop that,” he said to the other, and take a drink.” 

Shirley broke off a string of oaths in the middle and 
took a pull at the flask. This was of service to him ; for 
he sat quiet for a minute or two, during which time the 
Captain brought down the lantern. Looking up at him, 
Shirley said in a weak voice : 

Captain, is what I saw all so ? ” 

Yes,” was the reply ; “it’s all so.” 

“ Then,” said the other, “ help me out of this. I want 
to get out into common air.” 

The Captain raised Shirley to his feet, and with the 


238 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


lantern in one hand he assisted him to walk, hut it was 
not easy ; the man appeared to take no interest in his 
movements, and staggered and leaned upon the Captain 
as if he were drunk. 

As soon as they came out of the utter darkness and 
had reached the lighter part of the cave, the Captain let 
Shirley sit down and went for Maka. 

The first mate has been taken sick,’’ said he to the 
negro, and you must come help me get him out into the 
open air.” 

When the negro saw Shirley in a state of semi-collapse, 
he began to tremble from head to foot, but he obeyed 
orders, and with a great deal of trouble the two got the 
sailor outside of the caves and gave him another drink of 
whiskey. 

Maka had his own ideas about this affair. There was 
no use telling him Mr. Shirley was sick ; at least, that 
he was afflicted by any common ailment. He and his 
fellows knew very well that there were devils back in the 
blackness of that cave, and if the Captain did not mind 
them, it was because they were taking care of the prop- 
erty, whatever it was, that he kept back there, and for 
which he had now returned. With what that property 
was, and how it happened to be there, the mind of the 
negro did not concern itself. Of course, it must be valu- 
able, or the Captain would not have come to get it, but 
that was his business. He had taken the first mate into 
that darkness, and the sight of the devils had nearly 
killed him ; and now the negro’s mind was filled with 
but one idea, and that was, that the Captain might take 
him in there and make him see devils. 

After a time Shirley felt very much better and able to 
walk. 


A mariner’s wits take a little flight 239 

“Now, Captain,’’ said he, “I am all right, but I tell 
you what we must do : I’ll go to the ship and I’ll take 
charge of her, and I’ll do whatever has got to be done on 
shore; yes, and what’s more. I’ll help do the carrying 
part of the business, — it would be mean to sneak out of 
that, — and I’ll shoulder any sort of a load that’s put out 
on the sand in the daylight ; but. Captain, I don’t want 
to do anything to make me look into that hole. I can’t 
stand it, and that is the long and short of it. I am sorry 
that Maka saw me in such a plight; it’s bad for disci- 
pline, but it can’t be helped.” 

“Never mind,” cried the Captain, whose high spirits 
would have overlooked almost anything at that moment. 
“ Come, let us go back and have our breakfast ; that will 
set you up, and I won’t ask you to go into the caves 
again if you don’t want to.” 

“ Don’t let’s talk about it,” said Shirley, setting off ; 
“ I’d rather get my mind down to marlin-spikes and bilge- 
water.” 

As the Captain walked back to the cove, he said to 
himself : — 

“ I expect it struck Shirley harder than it did the rest 
of us, because he knew what he was looking at, and the 
first time we saw it we were not sure it was gold, as it 
might have been brass ; but Shirley knew, for he had 
already had a lot of those bars and had turned them into 
money. By George ! I don’t wonder that a poor fellow 
who had struggled for life with a small bag of that gold 
was knocked over when he saw a wagon-load of it.” 

Maka, closely following the others, had listened with 
eagerness to what had been said, and had been struck 
with additional horror when he heard Shirley request 
that he might not again be asked to look into that hole. 


240 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Suddenly the Captain and Shirley were startled by a 
deep groan behind them, and, turning, saw the negro 
sitting upon the sand, his knees drawn up to his face and 
groaning grievously. 

What’s the matter ? ” cried the Captain. 

“I sick,” said Maka; ^^sick same as Mr. Shirley.” 

“ Get up and come along,” said the Captain, laughing. 
He saw that something was really ailing the black 
fellow ; for he trembled from head to foot and his face 
had the hue of a black horse recently clipped. But he 
thought it best not to treat the matter seriously. ^^Come 
along,” said he ; I am not going to give you any whis- 
key.” And then, struck by a sudden thought, he asked. 
Are you afraid that you have got to go into that cave ? ” 
Yes, sir,” said Maka, who had risen to his feet ; it 
make me pretty near die dead to think that.” 

^^Well, don’t die any more,” said the Captain; ^^you 
sha’n’t go anywhere that you have not been before.” 

The pupils of Maka’s eyes, which had been turned up 
nearly out of sight, were now lowered. ^^All right, 
Cap’en,” said he ; “I lot better now.” 

This little incident was not unpleasant to the Captain. 
If the negroes were afraid to go into the blackness of the 
caves, it would make fewer complications in this matter. 


CHAPTEE XXXIII 

THE MIRANDA TAKES IN CARGO 

The next day the work of removing the treasure from 
the caves to the vessel began in good earnest. The 
“Miranda” was anchored not far from the little pier, 


THE MIRANDA TAKES IN CARGO 


241 


whicli was found in good order, and Shirley, with one 
negro, was left on board while the Captain and Burke 
took the three others, loaded with coffee bags, to the 
caves. 

For the benefit of the minds of the black men, the 
Captain had instructed Maka to assure them that they 
would not be obliged to go anywhere where it was really 
dark. But it was difficult to decide how to talk to Burke. 
This man was quite different from Shirley. He was 
smaller, but stout and strong, with a dark complexion, 
and rather given to talk. The Captain liked him well 
enough, his principal objection to him being that he was 
rather too willing to give advice. But whatever might 
be the effect of the treasure on Burke, the Captain 
determined that he should not be surprised by it. He 
had tried that on Shirley, and did not want to try it again 
on anybody, so he conversed freely about the treasure 
and the mound, and as far as possible described its 
appearance and contents. But he need not have troubled 
himself about the effect of the sight of a wagon-load of 
gold upon Burke’s mind. He was glad to see it, and 
whistled cheerfully as he looked down into the mound. 

How far do you think it goes down ? ” said he to the 
Captain. 

Don’t know,” was the reply ; we can’t tell anything 
about that until we get it out.” 

^^All right,” said Burke. <^The quicker we do it the 
better.” 

The Captain got into the mound with a lantern, for the 
gold was now too low for him to reach it from above, and 
having put as many bars into a coffee bag as a man could 
carry, he passed it up to Burke, who slid it down to the 
floor, where another lantern h^fd been left, When five 

R 


242 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


bags had been made ready, the Captain came out and he 
and Bnrke put each bag into another, and these were tied 
up firmly at each end; for a single coffee bag was not 
considered strong enough to hold the weighty treasure. 
Then the two carried the bags into the part of the cave 
which was lighted by the great fissure, and called the ne- 
groes. Then, each taking a bag on his shoulder, the party- 
returned to the cove. On the next trip, Shirley decided 
to go with the Captain; for he said he did not care for 
anything if he did not have to look down into the mound, 
for that was sure to make him dizzy. Makars place was 
taken by the negro who had been previously left in the 
vessel. Day by day the work went on, but whoever 
might be relieved and whatever arrangements might 
be made, the Captain always got into the mound and 
handed out the gold. Whatever discovery should be 
made when the bottom of the deposit was reached, he 
wanted to be there to make it. 

The operations were conducted openly and without any 
attempt at secrecy or concealment. The lid of the mound 
was not replaced when they left it, and the bags of gold 
were laid on the pier until it was convenient to take them 
to the vessel. When they were put on board, they were 
lowered into the hold and took the place of a proportion- 
ate amount of ballast which was thrown out. 

All the negroes now spoke and understood a little Eng- 
lish. They might think that those bags were filled with 
gold, or they might think that they contained a mineral 
substance, useful for fertilizer, but if by questioning or 
by accidental information they found out what was the 
load under which they toiled along the beach, the Captain 
was content. There was no reason why he should fear 
these men more than he feared Burke and Shirley; all 


THE MIRANDA TAKES IN CARGO 


243 




of them were necessary to him, and he must trust them. 
Several times when he was crouched down in the interior 
of the mound filling a bag with gold, he thought how easy 
it would be for one of the sailors to shoot him from above, 
and for them, or perhaps only one of them, to become the 
owner of all that treasure. But then he could be shot in 
one place almost as well as in another, and if the negroes 
should be seized with the gold fever and try to cut white 
throats at midnight, they would be more likely to attempt 
it after the treasure had been secured and the ship had 
sailed than now. In any case, nothing could be gained by 
making them feel that they were suspected and distrusted. 
Therefore it was that when one day Maka said to the 
Captain that the little stones in the bags had begun to 
make his shoulder tender, the Captain showed him how 
to fold an empty sack and put it between the bags and his 
back, and then also told him that what he carried was not 
stones, but lumps of gold. 

All your’n, Cap’en? asked Maka. 

Yes ; all mine,’’ was the reply. 

That night Maka told his comrades that when the Cap- 
tain got to the end of this voyage, he would be able to buy 
a ship bigger than the Castor” and that they would 
not have to sail in that little brig any more, and that he 
expected to be cook on the new vessel and have a fine suit 
of clothes in which to go on shore. 

For nearly a month the work went on, but the contents 
of the mound diminished so slowly that the Captain, and, 
in fact, the two sailors, too, became very impatient. Only 
about forty pounds could be carried by each man on a 
trip, and the Captain saw plainly that it would not do to 
urge greater rapidity or more frequent trips ; for in that 
case there would be sure to be breakdowns. The walk 


244 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

from the cove to the caves was a long one and rocky bar- 
riers had to be climbed, and although now but one man 
was left on board the vessel, only thirty bags a day 
were stored in its hold. This was very slow work. 
Consultations were held, and it was determined that some 
quicker method of transportation must be adopted. The 
idea that they could be satisfied with what they already 
had, seemed to enter the mind of none of them ; it was a 
foregone conclusion that their business there was to carry 
away all the gold that was in the mound. 

A new plan, though rather a dangerous one, was now 
put into operation ; the brig was brought around opposite 
the plateau which led to the caves, and anchored just 
outside the line of surf, where bottom was found at a 
moderate depth. Then the bags were carried in the boats 
to the vessel; a line connected each boat with the ship, 
and the negroes were half the time in the water assisting 
the boats backward and forward through the surf. Now 
work went on very much more rapidly; the men had 
all become accustomed to carrying the heavy bags, and 
could run with them down the plateau; the boats were 
hauled to and from the vessel, and the bags were hoisted 
on board by means of blocks and tackle and a big basket. 
Once the side of the basket gave way, and several bags 
went down to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen 
again. But there was no use in crying over spilt gold, 
and this was the only accident. 

The winds were generally from the south and east, 
and, therefore, there was no high surf; and this new 
method of working was so satisfactory, that they all 
regretted they had not adopted it from the first, notwith- 
standing the risk. But the Captain had had no idea 
that it would take so long for five men to carry that 


THE MIRANDA TAKES IN CARGO 


245 


treasure a distance of two miles, taking forty pounds at 
a time. 

At night everybody went on board the brig, and she 
lay to some distance from the shore, so as to be able to 
run out to sea in case of bad weather, but no such 
weather came. 

It was two months since the brig had dropped anchor 
in the E-ackbirds’ cove, when the contents of the mound 
got so low that the Captain could not hand up the bags 
without the assistance of a ladder, which he made from 
some stuff on board the brig. By rough measurement, 
he found that he should now be near the level of the 
outside floor of the cave, and he worked with great 
caution ; for the idea first broached by Ralph, that this 
mass of gold might cover something more valuable than 
itself, had never left him. 

But as he worked steadily, filling bag after bag, he 
found that, although he had reached at the outer edge of 
the floor of the mound what seemed to be a pavement 
of stone, there was still a considerable depth of gold in 
the centre of the floor. Now he worked faster, telling 
Shirley, who was outside, that he would not come out 
until he had reached the floor of the mound, which was 
evidently depressed in the centre after the fashion of 
a saucer. Working with feverish haste, the Captain 
handed up bag after bag, until every little bar of gold 
had been removed from the mound. 

The bottom of the floor was covered with a fine dust, 
which had sifted down in the course of ages from the 
inside coating of the mound, but it was not deep enough 
to conceal a bar of gold, and, with his lantern and his 
foot, the Captain made himself sure that not a piece was 
left. Then his whole soul and body thrilled with a wild 


246 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

purpose, and, moving the ladder from the centre of the 
floor, he stooped to brush away the dust. If there should 
be a movable stone there ! If this stone should cover a 
smaller cavity beneath the great one, what might he not 
discover within it ! His mind whirled before the ideas 
which now cast themselves at him, when suddenly he 
stood up and set his teeth hard together. 

‘^I will not,” he said. ‘^1 will not look for a stone 
with a crack around it. We have enough already. Why 
should we run the risk of going crazy by trying to get 
more ? I will not ; ” and he replaced the ladder. 

What’s the matter there ? ” called Shirley from out- 
side. Who’re you talking to ? ” 

The Captain came out of the opening in the mound, 
pulled up the ladder and handed it to Shirley, and then 
he was about to replace the lid upon the mound. But 
what was the use of doing that, he thought ; there would 
be no sense in closing it. He would leave it open. 

‘‘I was talking to myself,” he said to Shirley, when 
he had descended. It sounded crack-brained, I expect.” 

^^Yes, it did,” answered the other; ^^and I am glad 
these are the last bags we have to tie up and take out. 
I should not have wondered if the whole three of us had 
turned into lunatics. As for me, I have tried hard to 
stop thinking about the business, and I have found that 
the best thing I could do was to try and consider the 
stuff in these bags as coal ; good, clean, anthracite coal. 
Whenever I carried a bag, I said to myself, ^ Hurry up, 
now, with this bag of coal.’ A ship-load of coal, you 
know, is not worth enough to turn a man’s head.” 

‘‘That was not a bad idea,” said the Captain; “but 
now the work is done, and we will soon get used to think- 
ing of it without being excited about it. There is abso- 


THE MIRANDA TAKES IN CARGO 


247 


iiitely no reason why we should not be as happy and 
contented as if we had each made a couple of thousand 
dollars apiece on a good voyage.’^ 

^‘That’s so,” said Shirley, ^^and I’m going to try to 
think it.” 

When the last bag had been put on board, Burke and 
the Captain were walking about the caves looking here 
and there to take a final leave of the place. Whatever 
the Captain considered of value as a memento of the life 
they had led here, had been put on board. 

“ Captain,” said Burke, “ did you take all the gold out 
of that mound ? ” 

“ Every bit of it,” was the reply. 

“You didn’t leave a single lump for manners ?” 

“No,” said the Captain j “I thought it better that 
whoever discovered that empty mound after us should 
not know what had been in it. You see, we will have 
to circulate these bars of gold pretty extensively, and we 
don’t want anybody to trace them back to the place where 
they came from. When the time comes, we will make 
everything plain and clear, but we will want to do it our- 
selves and in our own way.” 

“ There is sense in that,” said Burke. “ There’s another 
thing I want to ask you. Captain. I’ve been thinking a 
great deal about that mound, and it strikes me that there 
might be a sub-cellar under it, a little one most likely, 
with something else in it, — rings and jewels and nobody 
knows what not. Did you see if there was any sign of 
a trap-door ? ” 

“No,” said the Captain; “I did not. I wanted to do 
it, you do not know how much, but I made up my mind 
it would be the worst kind of folly to try and get any- 
thing else out of that mound. We have now all that is 


248 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


good for us to have ; the only question is whether or not 
we have not more than is good for us. I was not sure 
that I should not find something, if I looked for it, which 
would make me as sick as Shirley was the first time he 
looked into the mound. No, sir; we have enough, and 
it is the part of sensible men to stop when they have 
enough.” 

Burke shook his head. “ If I’d been there,” he said, 
I should have looked for a crack in that floor.” 

When the brig weighed anchor, she did not set out for 
the open sea, but proceeded back to the Kackbirds’ cove, 
where she anchored again. Before setting out the next 
day on his voyage to France, the Captain wished to take 
on board a supply of fresh water. 


CHAPTEB XXXIV 

BURKE AND HIS CHISEL 

That night George Burke went off his watch at twelve 
o’clock, and a few minutes after he had been relieved, he 
did something he had never done before; he deserted his 
ship. With his shoes and a little bundle of clothes on 
his head, he very quietly slipped down a line he had 
fastened astern. It was a very dark night, and he reached 
the water unseen, and as quietly as if he had been an 
otter going fishing. First swimming, and then wading, 
he reached the shore. As soon as he was on land, he 
dressed, and then went for a lantern, a hammer, and a 
cold chisel, which he had left at a convenient spot. 

Without lighting the lantern, he proceeded as rapidly 


BUKKE AKD HIS CHISEL 


249 


as possible to the caves. His path was almost invisible, 
but having travelled that way so often, he knew it as 
v/ell as he knew his alphabet. Not until he was inside 
the entrance to the caves did he light his lantern. Then 
he proceeded, without loss of time, to the stone mound. 
He knew that the ladder had been left there, and with 
a little trouble he found it, where Shirley had put it, 
behind some rocks on the floor of the cave. By the aid 
of this he quickly descended into the mound, and then, 
moving the foot of the ladder out of the way, he vigor- 
ously began to brush away the dust from the stone pave- 
ment. When this was done, he held up the lantern, and 
carefully examined the central portion of the floor, and 
very soon he discovered what he had come to look for; a 
space about three feet square was marked off on the pave- 
ment of the mound by a very perceptible crevice. The 
other stones of the pavement were placed rather irregu- 
larly, but some of them had been cut to allow this single 
square stone to be set in the centre. 

“That^s a trap-door;” said Burke, “there can’t be any 
doubt about that.” And immediately he set to work to 
get it open. 

There was no ring, nor anything by which he could 
lift it, but if he could get his heavy chisel under it, he 
was sure he could raise it until he could get hold of it 
with his hands. So he began to drive his chisel vigor- 
ously down into the cracks at various places. This was 
not difficult to do, and, trying one side after another, he 
got the chisel down so far that he could use it as a lever ; 
but with all his strength he could not raise the stone. 

At last, while working at one corner, he broke out a 
large piece of the pavement, eight or nine inches long, 
and found that it had covered a metal bar about an inch 


250 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


in diameter. Witli his lantern he carefully examined 
this rod, and found that it was not iron, but appeared to 
be made of some sort of bronze. 

‘‘Now, what is this?” said Burke to himself. “It^s 
either a hinge or a bolt. It doesn’t look like a hinge, 
for it wouldn’t be any use for it to run so far into the 
rest of the pavement, and if it is a bolt, I don’t see how 
they got at it to move it. I’ll see where it goes to.” 
And he began to cut away more of the pavement toward 
the wall of the dome. The pieces of stone came up with- 
out much trouble, and as far as he cut, he found the 
metal rod. 

“ By George ! ” said he, “ I believe it goes outside of 
the mound! They worked it from outside! ” 

Putting the ladder in place, he ran up with his lan- 
tern and tools and descended to the outside floor. Then 
he examined the floor of the cave where the rod must 
run if it came outside the mound. He found a line of 
flat stones, each about a foot square, extending from the 
mound toward the western side of the cave. 

“Oh ho! ” he cried, and on his knees he went to work 
and soon forced up one of these stones, and under it was 
the metal rod, lying in a groove considerably larger than 
itself. Burke now followed the line of stones to the 
western side of the cave, where the roof was so low he 
could scarcely stand up under it. To make sure, he took 
up another stone, and still found the rod. 

“ I see what this means,” said he ; “ that bolt is worked 
from clean outside, and I’ve got to find the handle of it. 
If I can’t do that, I’ll go back and cut through that bolt, 
if my chisel will do it.” 

He now went back to a point on the line of stones 
about midway between the side of the cave and the 


BURKE AND HIS CHISEL 


251 


mound, and then, walking forward as nearly as possible 
in a straight line, which would be at right angles with 
the metal rod, he proceeded until he had reached the 
entrance to the passage-way which led to the outer caves, 
carefully counting his steps as he went. Then he turned 
squarely about, entered the passage, and walked along it 
until he came to the door of the room which had once 
been occupied by Captain Horn. 

^‘ITl try it inside first,’’ said Burke to himself, “and 
then I’ll go outside.” 

He walked through the rooms, turning to the right about 
ten feet, when he came to the middle apartment, — for the 
door here was not opposite to the others, — but coming 
back again to his line of march as soon as he was on the 
other side. He proceeded until he reached the large 
cave, open at the top, which was the last of these com- 
partments. This was an extensive cavern, the back part 
being, however, so much impeded by rocks that had 
fallen from the roof that it was difficult for him to make 
any progress, and the numbering of his steps depended 
very much upon calculation. But when he reached the 
farthest wall, Burke believed that he had gone about as 
great a distance as he had stepped ofi in the cave of the 
lake. 

“But how in the mischief,” thought he, “am I to find 
anything here?” He held up his lantern and looked 
about. “ I can’t move these rocks to see what is under 
them.” 

As he gazed around, he noticed that the southeast 
corner seemed to be more regular than the rest of the 
wall of the cave. In fact, it was almost a right-angled 
corner, and seemed to have been roughly cut into that 
shape. Instantly Burke was in the corner. He found 


252 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

the eastern wall quite smooth for a space about a foot 
wide and extending about two yards from the floor. In 
this he perceived lines of crevice marking out a rectan- 
gular space some six inches wide and four feet in height. 

^‘Ha! ha! ” cried Burke; “the handle is on the other 
side of that slab, I’ll bet my head! ” and, putting down 
the lantern, he went to work. 

With his hammer and chisel he had forced the top of 
the slab in less than two minutes, and soon he pulled it 
outward and let it drop on the floor. Inside the narrow, 
perpendicular cavity which was now before him he saw 
an upright metal bar. 

“The handle of the bolt! ” cried Burke. “Now I can 
unfasten the trap-door,” and, taking hold of the top of 
the bar, he pulled back with all his force. At first he 
could not move it, but suddenly the resistance ceased, 
and he pulled the bar forward until it stood at an angle 
of forty-five degrees from the wall. Further than this 
Burke could not move it, although he tugged and bore 
down on it with all his weight. 

“All right,” said he, at last; “I guess that’s as far as 
she’ll come. Anyway, I’m off to see if I’ve drawn that 
bolt. If I have. I’ll have that trap-door open if I have 
to break my back lifting it.” 

With his best speed Burke ran through the caves to 
the mound, and, mounting by means of the stone projec- 
tions, he was about to descend by the ladder, when to 
his utter amazement he saw no ladder. He had left it 
projecting at least two feet through the opening in the 
top of the mound, and now he could see nothing of it. 

What could this mean? Going up a little higher, he 
held up his lantern and looked within, but saw no signs 
of the ladder. 


BURKE AND HIS CHISEL 


253 


George!^’ he cried; “has anybody followed me 
and pulled out that ladder ? ” 

Lowering the lantern further into the mound, he peered 
in. Below, and immediately under him, was a black 
hole, about three feet square. Burke was so startled 
that he almost dropped the lantern, but he was a man of 
tough nerve and maintained his clutch upon it, but he 
drew back ; it required some seconds to catch his breath. 
Presently he looked down again. 

“I see,” said he, “that trap-door was made to fall 
down and not to lift up, and when I pulled the bolt down 
it went, and the ladder, being on top of it, slipped into 
that hole. Heavens!” he said, as a cold sweat burst 
out over him at the thought, “ suppose I had made up my 
mind to cut that bolt! Where would I have gone to?” 

It was not easy to frighten Burke, but now he trem- 
bled, and his back was chilly; but he soon recovered 
sufficiently to do something, and, going down to the floor 
of the cave he picked up a piece of loose stone, and 
returning to the top of the mound he looked carefully 
over the edge of the opening, and let the stone drop into 
the black hole beneath. With all the powers of his 
brain he listened, and it seemed to him like half a min- 
ute before he heard a faint sound, far, far below. At 
this moment he was worse frightened than he had ever 
been in his life. He clambered down to the foot of the 
mound and sat down on the floor. 

“What in the name of all the devils does it mean?” 
said he, and he set himself to work to think about it, and 
found this a great deal harder labor than cutting stone. 

“There was only one thing,” he said to himself at last, 
“that they could have had that for. The Captain says 
that those ancient fellows put their gold theye to keep it 


254 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


from the Spaniards, and they must have rigged np this 
devilish contrivance to work if they found the Spaniards 
had got on the track of their treasure. Even if the 
Spaniards had let off the water and gone to work to get 
the gold out, one of the Incas’ men in the corner of that 
other cave, which most likely was all shut up and not 
discoverable, got hold of that bar, gave it a good pull, 
and let down all the gold, and what Spaniards might 
happen to be inside, to the very bottom of that black 
hole ! By George ! It would have been a pretty trick ! 
The bottom of that mound is just like a funnel, and 
every stick of gold would have gone down. But what is 
more likely, they would have let it out before the Span- 
iards had a chance to open the top, and then, if the 
ancients had happened to lick the Spaniards, they could 
have got all that gold up again. It might have taken 
ten or twenty years, but then the ancients had all the 
time they wanted.” 

After these reflections, Burke sat for a few moments 
staring at the lantern. “ But, by George ! ” said he again, 
speaking aloud, though in low tones, “ it makes my blood 
run cold to think of the Captain working day after day, 
as hard as he could, right over that horrible trap-door. 
Suppose he had moved the bolt in some way ! Suppose 
somebody outside had found that slab in the wall and 
had fooled with the bar! Then there is another thing; 
suppose, while they were living here, he or the boy had 
found that bar, before he found the dome, and had pulled 
out the concern to see what it was! Bless me! In that 
case we should all be as poor as rats ! But I must not 
stop here, or the next watch will be called before I get 
back. But one thing I’ll do before I go. I’ll put back 
that lid. Somebody might find the dome in the dark 


BURKE AND HIS CHISEL 


255 


and tumble into it. Why, if a wandering rat should 
make a slip and go down into that black hole, it would 
be enough to make a fellow’s blood run cold if he knew 
of it.” 

Without much trouble Burke replaced the lid, and 
then, without further delay, he left the caves. As he 
hurried along the beach, he debated within himself 
whether or not he should tell Captain Horn what he had 
discovered. 

‘^It will be mighty hard on his nerves,” said he, ^^if 
he comes to know how he squatted and worked for days 
and weeks over that diabolical trap that opens downward. 
He’s a strong man, but he’s got enough on his nerves as 
it is. No, I won’t tell him. He is going to do the 
handsome thing by us, and it would be mean for me to 
do the unhandsome thing by him. By George! I don’t 
believe he could sleep for two or three nights if he knew 
what I know! No, sir! You just keep your mouth 
shut until we are safe and sound in some civilized spot, 
with the whole business settled, and Shirley and me 
discharged. Then I will tell the Captain about it, so 
that nobody need ever trouble his mind about coming 
back to look for gold rings and royal mummies. If I 
don’t get back before my watch is called. I’ll brazen it 
out somehow. We’ve got to twist discipline a little 
when we are all hard at work at a job like this.” 

He left his shoes on the sand of the coves, and swam 
to the ship without taking time to undress. He slipped 
over the taffrail, and had scarcely time to get below and 
change his clothes before his watch was called. 


256 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER XXXV 

THE CAPTAIN WRITES A LETTER 

On the afternoon of the next day, the Miranda, 
having taken in water, set sail, and began her long voy- 
age to Rio Janeiro, and thence to France. 

Now that his labors were over and the treasure of the 
Incas safely stored in the hold of the brig, where it was 
ignominiously acting as ballast. Captain Horn seated 
himself comfortably in the shade of a sail and lighted 
his pipe. He was tired of working, tired of thinking, 
tired of planning, tired in mind, body, and even soul, 
and the thought that his work was done, and that he was 
actually sailing away with his great prize, came to him 
like a breeze from the sea after a burning day. He was 
not as happy as he should have been; he knew that he 
was too tired to be as happy as his circumstances de- 
manded, but after a while he would attend better to that 
business. Now he was content to smoke his pipe and 
wait, and listen to the distant music from all the differ- 
ent kinds of enjoyment which, in thought, were march- 
ing toward him. It is true he was only beginning his 
long voyage to the land where he hoped to turn his gold 
into available property; it was true that he might be 
murdered that night, or some other night, and that when 
the brig, with its golden cargo, reached port, he might 
not be in command of her ; it was true that a hundred 
things might happen to prevent the advancing enjoy- 
ments from ever reaching him; but ill-omened chances 
threaten everything that man is doing, or ever can do, 
and he would not let the thought of them disturb him 
now, 


THE CAPTAIN WRITES A LETTER 257 

Everybody on board the Miranda ” was glad to rest 
and be bappy, according to his methods and his powers 
of anticipation. As to any present advantage from their 
success, there was none. The stones and sand they had 
thrown out had ballasted the brig quite as well as did 
the gold they now carried. This trite reflection forced 
itself upon the mind of Burke. 

“Captain,” said he, “don’t you think it would be a 
good idea to touch somewhere and lay in a store of fancy 
groceries and saloon-cabin grog. If we can afford to be 
as jolly as we please, I don’t see why we shouldn’t begin 
now.” 

But the Captain shook his head. “ It would be a dan- 
gerous thing, ” he said, “ to put into any port on the west 
coast of South America with our present cargo on board. 
We can’t make it look like ballast, as I expected we 
could, for all that bagging gives it a big bulk, and if the 
custom-house officers came on board, it would not do any 
good to tell them we are sailing in ballast, if they hap- 
pened to want to look below.” 

“Well, that may be so,” said Burke; “but what I’d 
like would be to meet a first-class, double-quick steamer, 
and buy her, put our treasure on board, and then clap on 
all steam for France.” 

“All right,” said the Captain; “but we’ll talk about 
that when we meet a steamer for sale.” 

After a week had passed, and he had begun to feel the 
advantages of rest and relief from anxiety. Captain Horn 
regretted nothing so much as that the “Miranda” was 
not a steamer, ploughing her swift way over the seas. 
It must be a long, long time before he could reach those 
whom he supposed and hoped were waiting for him in 
France. It had already been a long, long time since they 


258 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


had heard from him. He did not fear that they would 
suffer because he did not come ; he had left them money 
enough to prevent anything of that sort. He did not 
know whether or not they were longing to hear from 
him, but he did know that he wanted them to hear from 
him. He must yet sail about three thousand miles in 
the Pacific Ocean, and then about two thousand more in 
the Atlantic, before he reached Rio Janeiro, the port for 
which he had cleared. From there it would be nearly 
five thousand miles to France, and he did not dare to 
calculate how long it would take the brig to reach her 
final destination. This course of thought determined 
him to send a letter, which would reach Paris long be- 
fore he could expect to arrive there. If they should 
know that he had succeeded and was on his way, all 
might be well, or at least might be better than if they 
knew nothing about him. It might be a hazardous thing 
to touch at a port on this coast, but he believed that, if he 
managed matters properly, he might get a letter ashore 
without making it necessary for any meddlesome custom- 
house officers to come aboard and ask questions. Accord- 
ingly, he decided to stop at Valparaiso. He thought it 
likely that if he did not meet a vessel going into port 
which would lay to and take his letter, he might find 
some merchantman, anchored in the roadstead, to which 
he could send a boat, and on which he was sure to find 
some one who would willingly post his letter. 

He wrote a long letter to Edna, a straightforward, 
business-like missive, as his letters had always been, 
in which, in language which she could understand, but 
would carry no intelligible idea to any unauthorized 
person who might open the letter, he gave her an account 
of what he had done, and which was calculated to relieve 


THE CAPTAIN WRITES A LETTER 


259 


all apprehensions should it be yet a long time before he 
reached her. He promised to write again whenever there 
was an opportunity of sending her a letter, and wrote in 
such a friendly and encouraging manner that he felt sure 
there would be no reason for any disappointment or 
anxiety regarding him and the treasure. 

Burke and Shirley were a little surprised when they 
found that the Captain had determined to stop at Val- 
paraiso, a plan so decidedly opposed to what he had 
before said on the subject. But when they found it was 
for the purpose of sending a letter to his wife, and that 
he intended, if possible, barely to touch and go, they 
said nothing more, nor did Burke make any further 
allusions to improvement in their store of provisions. 

When at last the Captain found himself off Valparaiso, 
it was on a dark, cloudy evening and nothing could be 
done until the next morning, and they dropped anchor 
to wait until dawn. 

As soon as it was light, the Captain saw that a British 
steamer was anchored about a mile from the “Miranda,” 
and he immediately sent a boat, with Shirley and two 
of the negroes, to ask the officer on duty to post his letter 
when he sent on shore. In a little more than an hour 
Shirley returned, with the report that the first mate of 
the steamer knew Captain Horn and would gladly take 
charge of his letter. 

The boat was quickly hauled to the davits, and all 
hands were called to weigh anchor and set sail. But all 
hands did not respond to the call. One of the negroes, 
a big, good-natured fellow, who, on account of his un- 
pronounceable African name, had been dubbed Inkspot, 
was not to be found. This was a very depressing thing 
under the circumstances, and it almost counterbalanced 


260 THE ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the pleasure the Captain felt in having started a letter 
on its way to his party in France. 

It seemed strange that Inkspot should have deserted 
the vessel ; for it was a long way to the shore, and, be- 
sides, what possible reason could he have for leaving his 
fellow- Africans and taking up his lot among absolute 
strangers ? The crew had all worked together so ear- 
nestly and faithfully that the Captain had come to be- 
lieve in them and trust them to an extent to which he 
had never before trusted seamen. 

The officers held a consultation as to what was to be 
done, and they very quickly arrived at a decision. To 
remain at anchor, to send a boat on shore to look for 
the missing negro, would be dangerous and useless. 
Inquiries about the deserter would provoke inquiries 
about the brig, and if Inkspot really wished to run away 
from the vessel, it would take a long time to find him and 
bring him back. The right course was quite plain to 
every one; having finished the business which brought 
them there, they must up anchor and sail away as soon 
as possible. As for the loss of the man, they must bear 
that as well as they could. Whether he had been 
drowned, eaten by a shark, or had safely reached the 
shore, he was certainly lost to them. 

At the best, their crew had been small enough, but six 
men had sailed a brig, and six men could do it again. 

So the anchor was weighed, the sails were set, and 
before a northeast wind the Miranda ’’ went out to sea 
as gayly as the nature of her build permitted, which was 
not saying much. It was a good wind, however, and 
when the log had been thrown, the Captain remarked 
that the brig was making better time than she had made 
since they left Acapulco, 


A HORSE DEALER APPEARS- ON THE SCENE 261 


CHAPTEK XXXVI 

A HORSE DEALER APPEARS ON THE SCENE 

When the brig Miranda ’’ was lying at anchor in the 
Rackbirds’ cove, and Mr. George Burke had silently left 
her in order to go on shore and pursue some investigar 
tions in which he was interested, his departure from the 
brig had not been, as he supposed, unnoticed. The big, 
good-natured African, known as Inkspot, had been on 
watch, and, being himself so very black that he was not 
generally noticeable in the dark, was standing on a part 
of the deck from which, without being noticed himself, 
he saw a person get over the taffrail and slip into the 
water. He knew this person to be the second mate, and, 
having a high respect and some fear of his superiors, he 
did not consider it his business to interfere with him. 
He saw a head above the water, moving toward the shore, 
but it soon disappeared in the darkness ; toward the end 
of his watch, he had seen Mr. Burke climb up the vessel’s 
side as silently as he had gone down it, and disappear 
below. 

When Inkspot went to his hammock, which he did 
very shortly afterwards, he reflected to the best of his 
ability upon what he had seen. Why did Mr. Burke slip 
away from the ship so silently, and come back in the same 
way ? He must have gone ashore, and why did he want no 
one to know that he had gone ? He must have gone to do 
something he ought not to do, and Inkspot could think of 
nothing wrong that Mr. Burke would like to do, except to 
drink whiskey. Captain Horn was very particular about 
using spirits on board, and perhaps Mr. Burke liked 
whiskey, and could not get it. Inkspot knew about the 


262 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


storehouse of the Eackbirds, but he did not know what it 
had contained, or what had been left there. Maka had 
said something about the whiskey having been poured 
out on the sand, but that might have been said just to 
keep people away from the place. If there were no 
whiskey there, why did Mr. Burke go on shore ? 

How it so happened that Inkspot knew a good deal 
about whiskey. Before he had gone into the service of 
the Eackbirds, he had, at different times, been drunk, and 
he had the liveliest and most pleasant recollections of 
these experiences. It had been a long time since he had 
had enough whiskey to make him feel happy. This had 
probably been the case with Mr. Burke, and he had gone 
on shore, and most likely had had some very happy hours 
and had come back without any one knowing where he had 
gone. The consequence of this train of thought was that 
Inkspot determined that he would go on shore the next 
night and hunt for whiskey. He could do it quite as well 
as Mr. Burke had done it, perhaps even better. But the 
“ Miranda ” did not remain in the cove the next night, and 
poor Inkspot looked with longing eyes upon the slowly 
departing spot on the sands where he knew the Eackbirds’ 
storehouse was located. 

The days and nights went on, and, in the course of time, 
the “Miranda” anchored in the harbor of Valparaiso; 
and, when this happened, Inkspot determined that now 
would be his chance to go on shore and get a good drink 
of whiskey — he had money enough for that. He could 
see the lights of El Puerto, or the Old Town, glittering 
and beckoning, and they did not appear to be very far 
off. It would be nothing for him to swim as far as that. 

Inkspot went off his watch at midnight, and he went 
into the water at fifty minutes to one. He wore nothing 


A HORSE DEALER APPEARS ON THE SCENE 263 


but a dark gray shirt and a pair of thin trousers ; and, if 
any one had seen his head and shoulders, it is not likely, 
unless a good light had been turned on them, that they 
would have been supposed to be portions of a human 
form. 

Inkspot was very much at home in the water, and he 
could swim like a dog or a deer ; but it was a long, long 
swim to those glittering and beckoning lights. At last, 
however, he reached a pier ; and, having rested himself 
on the timbers under it, he cautiously climbed to the top. 
The pier was deserted, and he walked to the end of it, 
and entered the town. He knew nothing of Valparaiso, 
except that it was a large city where sailors went ; and 
he was quite sure he could find a shop where they sold 
whiskey. Then he would have a glass — perhaps two — 
perhaps three — after which he would return to the brig, 
as Mr. Burke had done. Of course, he would have to do 
much more swimming than had been necessary for the 
second mate, but then he believed himself to be a better 
swimmer than that gentleman; and he expected to get 
back a great deal easier than he came, because the 
whiskey would make him strong and happy, and he 
could play with the waves. 

Inkspot did find a shop, and a dirty one it was — but 
they sold whiskey inside, and that was enough for him. 
With the exception of Maka, he was the most intelligent 
negro among the Captain’s crew, and he had picked up 
some words of English and some of Spanish ; but it was 
difficult for him to express an idea with these words. 
Among these words, however, was one which he pro- 
nounced better than any of the others, and which had 
always been understood whenever he used it, — whether 
in English or Spanish — no matter what the nationality 


264 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


might be of the person addressed, — and that word was 
“ whiskey.” 

Inkspot had one glass, and then another, a third, and 
a fourth, and then his money gave out ; at least, the man 
who kept the shop insisted, in words that any one could 
understand, that the silver the big negro had fished out 
of his dripping pockets would pay for no more drinks. 
But Inkspot had had enough to make him happy; his 
heart was warm, and his clothes were getting drier ; and 
he went out into the glorious night; it was dark and 
windy, and the sky was cloudy; but to him all things 
were glorious. He sat down on the pavement in the cosy 
corner of two walls, and there he slept luxuriously until 
a policeman came along and arrested him for being 
drunk in the street. 

It was two days before Inkspot got out of the hands of 
the police ; then he was discharged because the authori- 
ties did not desire to further trouble themselves with a 
stupid fellow, who could give no account of himself, and 
had probably wandered from a vessel in port. The first 
thing he did was to go out to the water’s edge, and look 
out over the harbor, but, although he saw many ships, his 
sharp eyes told him that not one of them was the brig he 
had left. 

After an hour or two of wandering up and down the 
water side, he became sure that there was no vessel in 
that harbor waiting for him to swim to her; then he 
became equally certain that he was very hungry. It was 
not long, however, before a good, strong negro like Ink- 
spot found employment. It was not necessary for him to 
speak very much Spanish, or any other language, to get a 
job at carrying things up a gang-plank, and in pay for this 
labor he willingly took whatever was given him. 


A HORSE DEALER APPEARS ON THE SCENE 265 


That night, with very little money in his pocket, Ink- 
spot entered a tavern, a low place, but not so low as the 
one he had patronized on his arrival in Valparaiso. He 
had had a meagre supper, and now possessed but money 
enough to pay for one glass of whiskey, and, having pro- 
cured this, he seated himself on a stool in a corner, deter- 
mined to protract his enjoyment as long as possible. Where 
he would sleep that night he knew not, but it was not yet 
bedtime, and he did not concern himself with the question. 

Near by, at a table, were seated four men, drinking, 
smoking, and talking. Two of these were sailors ; another, 
a tall, dark man with a large nose, thin at the bridge and 
somewhat crooked below, was dressed in very decent shore 
clothes, but had a maritime air about him, notwithstand- 
ing. The fourth man, as would have been evident to any 
one who understood Spanish, was a horse dealer, and the 
conversation, when Inkspot entered the place, was entirely 
about horses. But Inkspot did not know this, as he under- 
stood so few of the words that he heard, and he would not 
have been interested if he had understood them. The 
horse dealer was the principal spokesman, but he would 
have been a poor representative of the shrewdness of his 
class, had he been trying to sell horses to sailors. He 
was endeavoring to do nothing of the kind; these men 
were his friends and he was speaking to them, not of the 
good qualities of his animals, but of the credulous natures 
of his customers. To illustrate this, he drew from his 
pocket a small object, which he had received a few days 
before for some horses which might possibly be worth 
their keep, although he would not be willing to guarantee 
this to any one at the table. The little object, which he 
placed on the table, was a piece of gold about two inches 
long, and shaped like an irregular prism. 


266 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


This, he said, he had received in trade from a man in 
Santiago, who had recently come down from Lima. The 
man had bought it from a jeweller, who had others, and 
who said he understood they had come from California. 
The jeweller had owed the man money, and the latter had 
taken this, not as a curiosity, for it was not much of a 
curiosity, as they could all see, but because the jeweller 
told him exactly how much it was worth, and because it 
was safer than money to carry, and could be changed into 
current coin in any part of the world. The point of the 
horse dealer’s remarks was, however, the fact that not 
only had he sold his horses to the man from Lima for 
very much more than they were worth, but he had made 
him believe that this lump of gold was not worth as much 
as he had been led to suppose, that the jeweller had 
cheated him, and that Californian gold was not easily 
disposed of in Chili or Peru ; for it was of a very inferior 
quality to the gold of South America. So he had made 
his trade and also a profit, not only on the animals he 
delivered, but on the pay he received. He had had the 
little lump weighed and tested, and knew exactly how 
much it was worth. 

When the horse dealer had finished this pleasant tale, 
he laughed loudly, and the three other men laughed also 
because they had keen wits and appreciated a good story 
of real life. But their laughter was changed to astonish- 
ment — almost fright — when a big black negro bounded 
out of a dark corner and stood by the table, one out- 
stretched ebony finger pointing to the piece of gold. In- 
stantly the horse dealer snatched his treasure and thrust 
it into his pocket, and almost at the same moment each 
man sprung to his feet and put his hand on his favorite 
weapon. But the negro made no attempt to snatch the 


A HORSE DEALER APPEARS OK THE SCENE 267 


gold, nor did there seem to be any reason to apprehend 
an attack from him. He stood slapping his thighs with 
his hands, his mouth in a wide grin and his eyes spark- 
ling in apparent delight. 

“ What is the matter with you ? ” shouted the horse 
dealer ; what do you want ? ” 

Inkspot did not understand what had been said to him, 
nor could he have told what he wanted, for he did not 
know. At that moment he knew nothing, he compre- 
hended nothing, but he felt as a stranger in a foreign land 
would feel should he hear some words in his native 
tongue. The sight of that piece of gold had given to 
Inkspot, by one quick flash, a view of his negro friends 
and companions, of Captain Horn and his two white 
men, of the brig he had left, of the hammock in which 
he had slept, of all, in fact, that he now cared for on 
earth. 

He had seen pieces of gold like that. Before all the 
treasure had been carried from the caves to the Miranda,’’ 
the supply of coffee bags had given out, and during the 
last days of the loading it had been necessary to tie up 
the gold in pieces of sail-cloth after the fashion of a 
wayfarer’s bundle. Before these had been put on board, 
their fastening had been carefully examined, and some of 
them had been opened and retied. Thus all the negroes 
had seen the little bars ; for, as they knew the bags con- 
tained gold, there was no need of concealing from them 
the shape and size of the contents. 

So, when, sitting in his gloomy corner, his spirits slowly 
rising under the influence of his refreshment, which he 
had just flnished, he saw before him an object which re- 
called to him the life and friends of which he had bereft 
himself, Inkspot’s nature took entire possession of him 


268 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


and lie bounded to the table in ecstatic recognition of the 
bit of metal. 

The men now swore at Inkspot, but as they saw he 
was unarmed and not inclined to violence, they were not 
afraid of him, but they wondered at him. The horse 
dealer took the piece of gold out of his pocket and held 
it in his hand. 

^^Did you ever see anything like that before?’’ he 
asked. He was a shrewd man, the horse dealer, and 
really wanted to know what was the matter with the 
negro. 

Inkspot did not answer, but jabbered in African. 

Try him in English,” suggested the thin-nosed man, 
and this the horse dealer did. 

Many of the English words Inkspot understood. He 
had seen things like that. Yes! Yes! Great heaps! 
Heaps ! Bags ! Bags ! He carried them ! Throwing an 
imaginary package over his shoulder, he staggered under 
it across the floor. Heaps ! Piles ! Bags ! Days and days 
and days he carried many bags ! Then in a state of 
exalted mental action, produced by his recollections and 
his whiskey, he suddenly conceived a scorn for a man 
who prized so highly just one of these lumps, and who 
was nearly frightened out of his wits if a person merely 
pointed to it. He shrugged his shoulders, he spread out 
the palms of his hands toward the piece of gold, he turned 
away his head and walked off sniffing. Then he came 
back and pointed to it, and saying ^^One” he laughed, 
and then he said One ” and laughed again. Suddenly 
he became possessed with a new idea. His contemptu- 
ous manner dropped from him, and in eager excitement 
he leaned forward and exclaimed: 

Cap’nor ? ” 


THE “ARATO” 


269 


The four men looked at each other and at him in won- 
der, and asked what, in the name of his satanic majesty, 
the fellow was driving at. This apparent question, now 
repeated over and over again in turn to each of them, they 
did not understand at all. But they could comprehend 
that the negro had carried bags of lumps like that. This 
was very interesting. 


CHAPTER XXXyil 

THE “ARATO’’ 

The subject of the labors of an African Hercules, 
mythical as these labors might be, was so interesting to 
the four men who had been drinking and smoking in the 
tavern, that they determined to pursue it as far as their 
ignorance of the African’s language, and his ignorance of 
English and Spanish, would permit. In the first place, 
they made him sit down with them, and offered him some- 
thing to drink. It was not whiskey, but Inkspot liked it 
very much, and felt all sorts of good effects from it. In 
fact, it gave him a power of expressing himself by gest- 
ures and single words in a manner wonderful. After a 
time, the men gave him something to eat, for they imag- 
ined he might be hungry, and this also helped him very 
much, and his heart went out to these new friends. Then 
he had a little more to drink, but only a little ; for the 
horse dealer and the thin-nosed man, who superintended 
the entertainment, were very sagacious and did not want 
him to drink too much. 

In the course of an hour, these four men, listening and 
watching keenly and earnestly, had become convinced 


270 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

that this black man had been on a ship which carried 
bags of gold, similar to the rude prism possessed by the 
horse dealer, that he had left that vessel for the purpose 
of obtaining refreshments on shore, and had not been 
able to get back to it, thereby indicating that the vessel 
had not stopped long at the place where he had left it, 
and which place must have been, of course, Valparaiso. 
Moreover, they found out to their full satisfaction where 
that vessel was going to ; for Maka had talked a great 
deal about Paris, which he pronounced in English fash- 
ion, where Cheditafa and Mok were, and the negroes had 
looked forward to this unknown spot as a heavenly port, 
and Inkspot could pronounce the word “Paris’’ almost as 
plainly as if it were a drink to which he was accustomed. 

But where the vessel was loaded with the gold, they 
could not find out ; no grimace that Inkspot could make, 
nor word that he could say, gave them an idea worth 
dwelling upon. He said some words which made them 
believe that the vessel had cleared from Acapulco, but it 
was foolish to suppose that any vessel had been loaded 
there with bags of gold carried on men’s shoulders. The 
ship most probably came from California, and had touched 
at the Mexican port. And she was now bound for Paris. 
That was natural enough, Paris was a very good place to 
which to take gold. Moreover, she had probably touched 
at some South American port, Callao perhaps, and this 
was the way the little pieces of gold had been brought 
into the country, the Californians probably having changed 
them for stores. 

The one word “ Cap’nor,” often repeated by the negro, 
and always in a questioning tone, puzzled them very 
much. They gave up its solution, and went to work to 
try to make out the name of the vessel upon which the 


THE “ARATO” 


271 


bags bad been loaded, but here Inkspot could not help 
them. They could not make him understand what it 
was they wanted him to say. At last, the horse dealer 
proposed to the others, whom he said knew more about 
such things than he did, that they should repeat the 
name of every sailing-vessel on that coast of which they 
had ever heard; for Inkspot had made them understand 
that his ship had sails, and no steam. This they did, 
and presently one of the sailors mentioned the name 
Miranda,’’ which belonged to a brig he knew of, which 
plied on the coast. At this Inkspot sprang to his feet 
and clapped his hands. 

Miran’a ! Miran’a ! ” he cried. And then followed the 
words, Cap’nor ! Cap’nor ! ” in eagerly excited tones. 

Suddenly the thin-nosed man, whom the others called 
Cardatas, leaned forward. 

Cap’en Horn ? ” said he. 

Inkspot clapped his hands again and exclaimed ; 

Ay ! Ay ! Cap’nor ! Cap’nor ! ” 

He shouted the words so loudly that the barkeeper, at 
the other end of the room, called out gruffly that they’d 
better keep quiet, or they would have somebody coming in. 

There you have it ! ” exclaimed Cardatas, in Spanish. 
‘^It’s Cap’en Horn that the fool’s been trying to say. 
Cap’en Horn of the brig ^Miranda.’ We are getting on 
finely.” 

^^I have heard of a Cap’en Horn,” said one of the 
sailors; ^^he is a Yankee skipper from California. He 
has sailed from this port, I know.” 

And he touched here three days ago, according to the 
negro,” said Cardatas, addressing the horse dealer. What 
do you say to that, Nunez ? From what we know, I don’t 
think it will be hard to find out more.” 


272 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Nunez agreed with, him, and thought it might pay to 
find out more. Soon after this, being informed that it 
was time to shut up the place, the four men went out, 
taking Inkspot with them. They would not neglect this 
poor fellow. They would give him a place to sleep, and 
in the morning he should have something to eat. It 
would be very unwise to let him go from them at present. 

The next morning Inkspot strolled about the wharves 
of Valparaiso in company with the two sailors, who never 
lost sight of him, and he had rather a pleasant time ; for 
they gave him as much to eat and drink as was good for 
him, and made him understand as well as they could 
that it would not be long before they would help him to 
return to the brig Miranda ” under Captain Horn. 

In the mean time, the horse dealer, Nunez, went to a 
newspaper office, and there procured a file of a Mexican 
paper ; for the negro had convinced them that his vessel 
had sailed from Acapulco. Turning over the back num- 
bers week after week, and week after week, Nunez 
searched in the maritime news for the information that 
the Miranda ” had cleared from a Mexican port. He 
had gone back so far that he had begun to consider it 
useless to make further search, when suddenly he caught 
the name Miranda.” There it was, the brig Miranda ” 
had cleared from Acapulco, September sixteenth, bound 
for Kio Janeiro in ballast. Nunez counted the months 
on his fingers. 

Five months ago ! ” he said to himself ; “ that’s not 
this trip, surely. But I will talk to Cardatas about that ; ” 
and taking from his pocket a little note-book, in which 
he recorded his benefactions in the line of horse trades, he 
carefully copied the paragraph concerning the Miranda.” 

When Nunez met Cardatas in the afternoon, the latter 


273 


THE “ARATO” 

also had news. He had discovered that the arrival of 
the Miranda ” had not been registered, but he had been 
up and down the piers, asking questions, and he had 
found a mate of a British steamer, then discharging her 
cargo, who told him that the “ Miranda,’^ commanded by 
Captain Horn, had anchored in the harbor three days 
back, during the night, and that early the next morning 
Captain Horn had sent him a letter which he wished 
posted, and that very soon afterward the brig had put 
out to sea. Cardatas wished to know much more, but 
the mate, who had had but little conversation with Shirley, 
could only tell him that the brig was then bound from 
Acapulco to E-io Janeiro in ballast, which he thought 
rather odd, but all he could add was that he knew Cap- 
tain Horn, and he was a good man, and that if he were sail- 
ing in ballast, he supposed he knew what he was about. 

Nunez then showed Cardatas the note he had made, 
and remarked that, of course, it could not refer to the 
present voyage of the brig ; for it could not take her five 
months to come from Acapulco to this port. 

No,’’ said the other, musing ; it oughtn’t to, but, on 
the other hand, it is not likely she is on her second voyage 
to Eio, and both times in ballast. That’s all stuff about 
ballast. No man would be such a fool as to sail pretty 
nigh all around this continent in ballast. He could find 
some cargo in Mexico that he could sell when he got to 
port. And besides, if that black fellow don’t lie, and 
he don’t know enough to lie, she’s bound for Paris. It’s 
more likely she means to touch at Eio and take over 
some cargo. But why, in the devil’s name, should she 
sail from Acapulco in ballast ? It looks to me as if bags 
of gold might make very good ballast.” 

That’s just what I was thinking,^” said Nunez. 


274 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

And wliat’s more,” said thje other, bet she brought 
it down from California with her when she arrived at 
Acapulco. I don’t believe she originally cleared from 
there.” 

^^It looks that way,” said Nunez; ^^but how do you 
account for such a long voyage ? ” 

‘‘ I’ve been talking to Sanchez about that ^ Miranda,’ ” 
said Cardatas ; he has heard that she is an old tub, and 
a poor sailer, and in that case five months is not such a 
very slow voyage. I have known of slower voyages than 
that.” 

^^ And now what are you going to do about it?” asked 
Nunez. 

“ The first thing I want to do is to pump that black fel- 
low a little more.” 

‘‘A good idea,” said Nunez, ^^and we’ll go and do it.” 

Poor Inkspot was pumped for nearly an hour, but not 
much was got out of him. The only feature of his infor- 
mation that was worth anything was the idea that he 
managed to convey that ballast, consisting of stones and 
bags of sand, had been taken out of the brig and thrown 
away and bags of gold put in their places. Where this 
transfer had taken place, the negro could not make his 
questioners understand, and he was at last remanded to 
the care of Sanchez and the other sailor. 

^^The black fellow can’t tell us much,” said Cardatas 
to Nunez, as they walked away together; ^^but he has 
stuck to his story well, and there can’t be any use of his 
lying about it. And there is another thing, what made 
the brig touch here just long enough to leave a letter, and 
that after a voyage of five months ? That looks as if they 
were afraid some of their people would go on shore and 
talk.” 


275 


THE “ARATO” 

that case/’ said Nunez, ‘^1 should say there is 
something shady about the business. Perhaps this Cap- 
tain has slipped away from his partners up there in Cali- 
fornia, or somebody who has been up to a trick has hired 
him to take the gold out of the country. If he does 
carry treasure, it isn’t a fair and square thing. If it had 
been, the gold would have been sent in the regular way by 
a steamer. It’s no crime to send gold from California to 
Prance, or any other place.” 

^^I agree with you,” said Cardatas, as he lighted his 
twenty-seventh cigarette. 

Nunez did not smoke, but he mused as he walked along. 

If she has gold on board,” said he presently, “ it must 
be a good deal.” 

“Yes,” said the other; “they wouldn’t take so much 
trouble for a small lot. Of course, there can’t be enough 
of it to take the place of all the ballast, but it must weigh 
considerable.” 

Here the two men were joined by an acquaintance, and 
their special conversation ceased. That night they met 
again. 

“ AYhat are you going to do about this ? ” asked Nunez. 
“We can’t keep on supporting that negro.” 

“ What is to be done ? ” asked the other, his sharp eyes 
fixed upon his companion’s face. 

“Would it pay to go over to Rio and meet that brig 
when she arrives there ? If we could get on board and 
have a talk with her Captain, he might be willing to act 
handsomely when he found out we know something about 
him and his ship. And if he won’t do that, we might give 
information and have his vessel held until the authorities 
in California can be communicated with. Then I should 
say we ought to make something.” 


276 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 

1 don’t think much of that plan,” said Cardatas ; I 
don’t believe she’s going to touch at Kio. If she’s afraid 
to go into port here, why shouldn’t she be afraid to go 
into port there? No; it would be stupid for us to go to 
Kio and sit down and wait for her.” 

Then,” answered the other, a little angrily, what can 
be done ? ” 

We can go after her,” said Cardatas. 

The other sneered. That would be more stupid than 
the other,” said he ; she left here four days ago, and we 
could never catch up with her, even if we could find such 
a pin-point of a vessel on the great Pacific.” 

Cardatas laughed. You don’t know much about navi- 
gation,” said he, “ but that’s not to be expected. With a 
good sailing-vessel I could go after her, and overhaul her 
somewhere in the Straits of Magellan. With such a cargo, 
I am sure she would make for the Straits. That Captain 
Horn is said to be a good sailor, and the fact that he is 
in command of such a tub as the ^ Miranda,’ is a proof that 
there is something underhand about his business.” 

And if we should overhaul her ? ” said the other. 

‘‘Well,” was the reply, “we might take along a dozen 
good fellows, and as the ‘ Miranda ’ has only three men on 
board — I don’t count negroes worth anything, — I don’t 
see why we couldn’t induce the Captain to talk reasonable 
to us. As for a vessel, there’s the ‘ Arato.’ ” 

“ Your vessel ? ” said the other. 

“Yes, I own a small share in her, and she’s here in 
port, now, waiting for a cargo.” 

“ I forget what sort of a craft she is,” said Nunez. 

“She’s a schooner,” said the other, “and she can sail 
two miles to the ‘ Miranda’s ’ one in any kind of weather. 
If I had money enough, I could get the ‘ Arato,’ put a good 


THE “ARATO^^ 


277 


crew on board, and be at sea and on the wake of that brig 
in twenty-four hours.’’ 

And how much money would be needed ? ” asked the 
other. 

That remains to be calculated,” replied Cardatas, and 
the two went to work to calculate, and spent an hour or 
two at it. 

When they parted, Nunez had not made up his mind 
that the plan of Cardatas was a good one, but he told him 
to go ahead and see what could be done about getting the 
‘^Arato,” and a reliable crew, and that he would talk 
further to him about the matter. 

That night Nunez took a train for Santiago, and on his 
arrival there the next morning, he went straight to the 
shop of the jeweller of whom had been obtained the piece 
of gold in his possession. Here he made some cautious 
inquiries, and found the jeweller very ready to talk about 
the piece of gold that Nunez showed him. The jeweller said 
that he had had four pieces of the gold in his possession, 
and that he had bought them in Lima to use in his busi- 
ness. They had originally come from California, and 
were very fine gold. He had been a little curious about 
it on account of the shape of the pieces, and had been 
told that they had been brought into the country by an 
American sea-captain, who had seemed to have a good 
many of them. The jeweller thought it very likely 
that these pieces of gold passed for currency in Cali- 
fornia; for he had heard that at one time the people 
there had had to make their own currency, and that they 
often paid for merchandise in so many pennyweights and 
ounces of gold instead of using coin. The jeweller was 
himself very glad to do business in this way ; for he liked 
the feel of a lump of gold. After explaining that the 


278 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

only reason for his making these inquiries was his fear 
that the piece of gold he had accepted in trade, because 
he also liked the feel of lumps of gold, might not be 
worth what he had given for it, Nunez thanked the 
jeweller and left him and returned to Valparaiso. He 
went straight to his friend Cardatas, and said that he 
would furnish the capital to fit out the ‘‘ Arato for the 
projected trip. 

It was not in twenty-four hours, but in forty-eight, that 
the schooner Arato’’ cleared from Valparaiso for Callao 
in ballast. She had a good set of sails and a crew of 
ten men besides the captain. She also had on board a 
passenger, Nimez by name, and a tall negro, who doubt- 
less could turn his hand to some sort of work on board, 
and whom it would have been very indiscreet to leave 
behind. 

Once outside the harbor the “ Arato ” changed her mind 
about going to Callao, and sailed southward. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII 

THE COAST OF PATAGONIA 

For about ten days after the brig Miranda ” left 
Valparaiso she had good winds and fair weather, and 
her progress was satisfactory to all on board, but at the 
end of that time she entered upon a season of head 
winds and bad weather. The vessel behaved very well 
in the stormy days that followed, but she made very little 
headway. Her course was now laid toward the Gulf of 
Penas, after reacliing which she would sail along the pro- 


THE COAST OF PATAGONIA 


279 


tected waterways between the chain of islands which lie 
along the coast and the mainland, and which lead into the 
Straits of Magellan. 

When the weather at last changed and the sea became 
smoother, it was found that the working and straining of 
the masts during the violent weather had opened some of 
the seams of the brig, and that she was taking in water. 
She was a good vessel, but she was an old one, and she 
had had a rough time of it. The Captain thanked his 
stars that she had not begun to leak before the storm. 

The short-handed crew went to work at the pumps, but, 
after two days’ hard labor, it was found that the water 
in the hold steadily gained upon the pumps, and there 
was no doubt that the Miranda ” was badly strained. 
According to a report from Burke, the water came in for- 
ward, aft, and midships. Matters were now getting very 
serious, and the Captain and his two mates consulted 
together on deck, while the three negroes pumped below. 
It was plain to all of them that if the water kept on 
gaining, it would not be long before the brig must go to 
the bottom. To keep her afloat until they reached a port, 
would be impossible ; to reach the shore in the boats, was 
quite possible, for they were not a hundred miles from 
land; but to carry their treasure to land in two small 
boats, was a thing which need not even be considered. 

All agreed that there was but one thing to be done : 
the brig must be headed to land, and if she could be kept 
afloat until she neared one of the great islands which lie 
along the Patagonian coast, she might be run into some 
bay or protected cove, where she could be beached ; or 
where, if she should sink, it might be in water so shallow 
that all hope of getting at her treasure would not have 
to be abandoned. In any case, the sooner they got to 


280 THE ADVENTtJRES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


the shore, the better for them. So the brig’s bow was 
turned eastward, and the pumps were worked harder than 
ever. There was a good wind, and, considering that the 
Miranda” was steadily settling deeper and deeper, she 
made very fair progress, and in less than two days after 
she had changed her course, land was sighted. Not long 
after. Captain Horn began to hope that if the wind held, 
and the brig could keep above water for an hour or so, he 
could double a small headland which now showed itself 
plainly a couple of miles away, and might be able to 
beach his vessel. 

What a dreary, depressing hope it was that now pos- 
sessed the souls of Captain Horn, of Burke and Shirley, 
and even the three negroes ! After all the hardships, the 
labor, and the anxieties; after all the joy of success and 
escape from danger ; after all happy chances which had 
come in various ways, and from various directions ; after 
the sweet delights of rest ; after the super-exultation of 
anticipation which no one on board had been able to 
banish from his mind, there was nothing left to them 
now but the eager desire that their vessel might keep 
afloat until she could find some friendly sands on which 
she might be run, or some shallow water in which she 
might sink and rest there on the wild Patagonian coast, 
leaving them far from human beings of any kind, far 
from help, far, perhaps, from rescue and even safety. 

To this one object, each man gave his entire energy, 
his mind, and his body. Steadily went the pumps, stead- 
ily the Captain kept his eyes fixed upon the approach- 
ing headland, and upon the waters beyond, and steadily, 
little by little, the Miranda ” sank lower and lower into 
the sea. 

At last the headland was reached, and on its ocean side 


THE COAST OP PATAGONIA 


281 


the surf beat high. Keeping well away to avoid shoals 
or a bar, the Miranda ” passed the southern point of the 
headland, and slowly sailed into a little bay. To the 
left, lay the rocky ridge which formed the headland, and 
less than half a mile away could be seen the shining sands 
of the smooth beach. Toward this beach the Miranda’’ 
was now headed, every sail upon her set, and every nerve 
upon her strung to its tightest. They went in upon a flood 
tide. If he had believed that the brig would float so long. 
Captain Horn would have waited an hour until the tide 
was high so that he might run his vessel farther up upon 
the beach, but he could not wait, and with a strong west 
wind he steered straight for the sands. 

There was a hissing under the bows, and a shock which 
ran through the vessel from stem to stern, and then 
grinding and grinding and grinding until all motion ceased, 
and a gentle surf began to curl itself against the stern of 
the brig. 

Every sheet was loosened, and down came every sail 
as fast as six active men could lower them, and then the 
brig Miranda ” ended this voyage and all others, upon 
the shore of a desolate Patagonian island. 

Between the vessel and dry land there was about a 
hundred feet of water, but this would be much less when 
the tide went out. Beyond the beach was a stretch of 
sandy hillocks or dunes, and back of these was a mass of 
scrubby thicket, with here and there a low tree, and still 
farther back was seen the beginning of what might be a 
forest. It was a different coast from the desolate shores 
of Peru. 

Burke came aft to the Captain. 

^^Here we are, sir,” said he, ^^and what’s to happen 
next ? ” 


282 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Happen ! ” exclaimed the Captain. We must not 
wait for things to happen ! What we’ve got to do, is to 
step around lively, and get the gold out of this brig before 
the wind changes and drives her out into deep water.” 

Burke put his hands into his pockets. Is there any 
good of it. Captain ? ” said he. “ Will we be any better off 
with the bags on that shore than we would be if they 
were sunk in this bay ? ” 

Good of it ! ” exclaimed the Captain. Don’t talk 
that way, Burke. If we can get it on shore, there is a 
chance for us ; but if it goes to the bottom, out in 
deep water, there is none. There is no time to talk now. 
What we must do, is to go to work.” 

“ Yes,” said Burke ; “ whatever happens, it is always 
work. But I’m in for it, as long as I hold together. 
But we’ve got to look out that some of those black fellows 
don’t drop over the bow, and give us the slip.” 

“ They’ll starve if they do,” said the Captain ; for not 
a biscuit, or a drop of water, goes ashore until the gold 
is out of the hold.” 

Burke shook his head. We’ll do what we can. 

Captain,” said he ; but that hold’s a regular fish-pond, 
and we’ll have to dive for the bags.” 

All right,” said the Captain, dive let it be.” 

The work of removing the gold began immediately. 
Tackle was rigged; the negroes went below to get out 
the bags, which were hauled up to the deck in a tub. 
When a moderate boat-load had been taken out, a boat 
was lowered and manned, and the bags passed down 
to it. 

In the first boat the Captain went ashore. He con- 
sidered it wise to land the treasure as fast as it could be 
taken out of the hold ; for no one could know at what 


THE COAST OF PATAGONIA 


283 


time, whether on account of wind from shore or waves 
from the sea, the vessel might slip out into deep water. 
This was a slower method than if everybody had worked 
at getting the gold on deck, and then everybody had 
worked at getting it ashore, but it was a safer plan than 
the other; for if an accident should occur, if the brig 
should be driven off the sand, they would have what- 
ever they had already landed. As this thought passed 
through the mind of the Captain, he could not help a dis- 
mal smile. 

Have ! ” said he to himself. It may be that we shall 
have it as that poor fellow had his bag of gold, when he 
lay down on his back to die there in the wild desert.^’ 

But no one would have imagined that such an idea had 
come into the Captain’s mind. He worked as earnestly, 
and as steadily, as if he had been landing an ordinary 
cargo at an ordinary dock. 

The Captain and the men in the boat carried the 
bags high up on the beach, out of any danger from tide 
or surf, and laid them in a line along the sand. The 
Captain ordered this, because it would be easier to handle 
them afterward — if it should ever be necessary to handle 
them — than if they had been thrown into piles. If they 
should conclude to bury them, it would be easier and 
quicker to dig a trench along the line, and tumble them 
in, than to make the deep holes that would be otherwise 
necessary. 

Until dark that day, and even after dark, they worked, 
stopping only for necessary eating and drinking. The 
line of bags upon the shore had grown into a double one, 
and it became necessary for the men, sometimes the 
white and sometimes the black, to stoop deeper and 
deeper into the water of the hold to reach the bags. But 


284 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


they worked on bravely. In the early dawn of the next 
morning they went to work again. Not a negro had 
given the ship the slip, nor were there any signs that 
one of them had thought of such a thing. 

Backward and forward through the low surf went the 
boat, and longer and wider and higher grew the mass of 
bags upon the beach. 

It was the third day after they had reached shore, 
that the work was finished. Every dripping bag had 
been taken out of the hold, and the Captain had counted 
them all, as they had been put ashore, and verified the 
number by the record in his pocket-book. 

When the lower tiers of bags had been reached, they 
had tried pumping out the water, but this was of little 
use. The brig had keeled over on her starboard side, and 
early in the morning of the third day, when the tide was 
running out, a hole had been cut in that side of the ves- 
sel, out of which a great portion of the water she con- 
tained had run. It would all come in again, and more 
of it, when the tide rose, but they were sure they could 
get through their work before that, and they were right. 

The bags now lay upon the beach in the shape of a 
long mound, not more than three feet high and about 
four rows wide at the bottom and two at the top. The 
Captain had superintended the arrangement of the bags, 
and had so shaped the mass that it somewhat resembled 
in form the dunes of sand which lay behind it. No 
matter what might be their next step, it would probably 
be advisable to conceal the bags, and the Captain had 
thought that the best way to do this would be to throw 
sand over the long mound, in which work the prevailing 
western winds would be likely to assist, and thus make 
it look like a natural sand-hill. Burke and Shirley were 


THE COAST OF PATAGONIA 


285 


in favor of burial, but the consideration of this matter 
was deferred ; for there was more work to be done which 
must be attended to immediately. 

Now provisions, water, and everything else that might 
be of value was taken out of the brig and carried to 
shore. Two tents were constructed out of sails and 
spars, and the little party established themselves upon 
the beach. What would be their next work, they knew 
not, but they must first rest from their long season of 
heavy labor. The last days had been harder even than 
the days of storm and the days of pumping. They had 
eaten liurriedly and slept but little ; regular watches and 
irregular watches had been kept ; watches against storm, 
which might sweep the brig with all on board out to sea ; 
watches against desertion; watches against they knew 
not what. As chief watcher, the Captain had scarcely 
slept at all. 

It had been dreary work, unrelieved by hope, uncheered 
by prospect of success; for not one of them, from the 
Captain down, had any definite idea as to what was to be 
done after they had rested enough to act. 

But now they rested. Now they went so far as to 
fill their pipes and stretch themselves upon the sand. 
When night came on, chilly and dark, they gathered 
driftwood and dead branches from the thicket and built 
a camp-fire. They sat around it, and smoked their pipes, 
but they did not tell stories, nor did they talk very 
much ; they were glad to rest ; they were glad to keep 
warm ; but that was all. The only really cheerful thing 
upon the beach was the fire, which leaped high and 
blazed merrily as the dried wood was heaped upon it. 


286 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER XXXIX 

SHIRLEY SPIES A SAIL 

When the Arato ” changed her mind about going to 
Callao and sailed southward some five days after the 
Miranda ” had started on the same course, she had very 
good weather for the greater part of a week and sailed 
finely. Cardatas, who owned a share in her, had sailed 
upon her as first mate, but he had never before commanded i 
her. He was a good navigator, however, and well fitted 
for the task he had undertaken. He was a sharp fellow 
and kept his eyes on everybody, particularly upon Xunez, 
who, although a landsman, and in no wise capable of ' 
sailing a ship, was perfectly capable of making plans 
regarding any vessel in which he was interested, and 
when such a vessel happened to be sailing in pursuit of 
treasure, the value of which was merely a matter of 
conjecture. It was not impossible that the horse dealer, 
who had embarked money in this venture, might think 
that one of the mariners on board might be able to sail 
the schooner as well as Cardatas, and would not expect so 
large a share of the profits should the voyage be success- 
ful. But when the storms came on, Nunez grew sick and 
unhappy and retired below, and troubled the mind of 
Cardatas no more for the present. 

The Arato ” sailed well on a good wind, but in many 
respects she was not as good a sea-boat in a storm as the 
Miranda ” had proved to be, and she had been obliged 
to lay to a great deal through the days and nights 
of high winds and heavy seas. Having never had until 
now the responsibility of a vessel upon him, Cardatas 
was a good deal more cautious and prudent, perhaps, 


SHIRLEY SPIES A SAIL 


287 


than Captain Horn would have been had he been in com- 
mand of the ^^Arato.” Among other methods of pre- 
caution which Cardatas thought it wise to take, he 
steered well out from the coast, and thus greatly length- 
ened his course, and at last, when a clearing sky enabled 
him to take an observation, he found himself so far to the 
westward that he changed his course entirely and steered 
for the southeast. 

Notwithstanding all these retarding circumstances, 
Cardatas did not despair of overhauling the Miranda.’’ 
He was sure she would make for the Straits, and he did 
not in the least doubt that with fair winds he could over- 
take her before she reached them, and even if she did get 
out of them, he could still follow her. His belief that 
the ^^Arato” could sail two miles to the ^‘Miranda’s” 
one was still unshaken. The only real fear he had was 
that the Miranda ” might have foundered in the storm. 
If that should happen to be the case, their voyage would 
be a losing one, indeed, but he said nothing of his fears 
to Nunez. 

The horse dealer was now on deck again, in pretty fair 
condition, but he was beginning to be despondent. After 
such an awful storm and in all that chaos of waves, 
what chance was there of finding a little brig, such as 
they were after ? 

But vessels sail in regular courses,” Cardatas said to 
him ; they don’t go meandering all over the ocean. If 
they are bound for any particular place, they go there on 
the shortest safe line they can lay down on the map. 
We can go on that line too, although we may be thrown 
out of it by storms. But we can strike it again, and 
then all we have to do is to keep on it as straight as we 
can, and we are bound to overtake another vessel on the 


288 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


same course, provided we sail faster than she does. It 
is all plain enough, don’t you see ? ” 

Nunez could not help seeing, but he was a little cross 
nevertheless. The map and the ocean were wonderfully 
different. 

The wind had changed, and the Arato ” did not make 
very good sailing on her southeastern course. High as 
was her captain’s opinion of her, she never had sailed, 
nor never could sail two miles to the “ Miranda’s ” one, 
although she was a good deal faster than the brig. But 
her tacks were fairly well planned, and in due course of 
time she approached so near the coast that her lookout 
sighted land, which land, Cardatas, consulting his chart, 
concluded must be one of the Patagonian islands to the 
north of the Gulf of Penas. 

As night came on, Cardatas determined to change his 
course somewhat to the south, as he did not care to trust 
himself too near the coast, when suddenly the lookout 
reported a light on the port bow. Cardatas had sailed 
down this coast before, but he had never heard of a 
lighthouse in the region, and with his glass he watched 
the light. But he could not make it out. It was a 
strange light ; for sometimes it was bright and sometimes 
dull, then it would increase greatly and almost fade 
away again. 

It looks like a fire on shore,” said he, and some of 
the other men who took the glass agreed with him. 

And what does that mean? ” asked Nunez. 

‘^I don’t know,” replied Cardatas, curtly; “how 
should I ? But one thing I do know, and that is that I 
shall lay to until morning, and then we can feel our way 
near to the coast and see what it does mean.” 

“ But what do you want to know for?” asked Nunez; 


SHIRLEY SPIES A SAIL 


289 


I suppose somebody on shore has built a fire. Is there 
any good stopping for that? We have lost a lot of time 
already.’^ 

I am going to lay to, anyway,” said Cardatas ; and 
when we are on such business as ours, we should not 
pass anything without understanding it.” 

Cardatas had always supposed that these islands were 
uninhabited, and he could not see why anybody should 
be on one of them making a fire, unless it were a case of 
shipwreck. If a ship had been wrecked, it was not at 
all impossible that the Miranda ” might be the unfor- 
tunate vessel. In any case, it would be wise to lay to, 
and look into the matter by daylight. If the Miranda ” 
had gone down at sea, and her crew had taken to land in 
boats, the success of the Arato’s ” voyage would be very 
dubious ; and should this misfortune have hapjlened, he 
must be careful about Nunez when he came to hear of it. 
When he turned into his hammock that night, Cardatas 
had made up his mind that, if he should discover that 
the ‘^Miranda” had gone to the bottom, it would be a 
very good thing if arrangements could be made for Nunez 
to follow her. 

That night the crew of the “ Miranda ” slept well and 
enjoyed the first real rest they had had since the storm. 
No watch was kept, for they all thought it would be 
an unnecessary hardship. The Captain awoke at early 
dawn, and, as he stepped out of the tent, he glanced over 
sea and land. There were no signs of storm, the brig 
had not slipped out into deep water, their boats were still 
high and dry upon the beach, and there was something 
encouraging in the soft, early light and the pleasant 
morning air. He was surprised, however, to find that he 
was not the first man out. On a piece of higher ground, 


u 


290 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

a little back from tbe tents, Shirley was standing, a glass 
to his eye. 

What do yon see ? cried the Captain. 

A sail ! ’’ returned Shirley. 

At this every man in the tents came running out. 
Even to the negroes the words, A sail,’’ had the start- 
ling effect which they always have upon shipwrecked 
men. 

The effect upon Captain Horn was a strange one, and 
he could scarcely understand it himself. It was amazing 
that succor, if succor it should prove to be, had arrived 
so quickly after their disaster. But, notwithstanding the 
fact that he would be overjoyed to be taken off that deso- 
late coast, he could not help a strong feeling of regret that 
a sail had appeared so soon. If they had had time to con- 
ceal their treasure, all might have been well. With the 
bags of gold buried in a trench or covered with sand so 
as to look like a natural mound, he and his sailors might 
have been taken off merely as shipwrecked sailors, and 
carried to some port where he might charter another ves- 
sel and come back after his gold. But now he knew that 
whoever landed on this beach must know everything, for 
it would be impossible to conceal the contents of that 
long pile of bags, and what consequences might follow 
upon such knowledge it was impossible for him to 
imagine. Burke had very much the same idea. 

^^By George, Captain!” said he; ^^it is a great pity 
that she came along so soon. What do you say, shall we 
signal her or not ? We want to get away, but it would 
be beastly awkward for anybody to come ashore just 
now. I wish we had buried the bags as fast as we 
brought them ashore.” 

The Captain did not answer; perhaps it might be as 


SHIRLEY SPIES A SAIL 


291 


well not to signal her. And yet this might be their only 
chance of rescue ! 

“ What do you say to jumping into the boats and row- 
ing out to meet them ? ” asked Burke. We’d have to 
leave the bags uncovered, but we might get to a port, 
charter some sort of a craft, and get back for the bags 
before any other vessel came so near the coast.” 

“ I don’t see what made this one come so near,” said 
Shirley, unless it was our fire last night. She might 
have thought that was a signal.” 

“ I shouldn’t wonder,” said the Captain, who held the 
glass. ^^But we needn’t trouble ourselves about going 
out in boats, for she is making straight for land.” 

That’s so,” said Shirley, who could now see this for 
himself; for the light was rapidly growing stronger. 
“ She must have seen our fire last night. Shall I hoist a 
signal ? ” 

No,” said the Captain. Wait ! ” 

They waited to see what this vessel was going to do. 
Perhaps she was only tacking, but what fool of a skipper 
would run so close to the shore for the sake of tacking ! 
They watched her eagerly, but not one of the white men 
would have been wholly disappointed if the schooner, 
which they could now easily make out,' had changed her 
course and gone off on a long southwestern tack. 

But she was' not tacking. She came rapidly on before 
a stiff west wind. There was no need of getting out 
boats to go to meet her. She was south of the headland, 
but was steering directly toward it. They could see what 
sort of craft she was, — a long schooner, painted green, 
with all sails set. Very soon they could see the heads of 
the men on board. Then she came nearer and nearer to 
land, until she was less than half a mile from shore. 


292 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Then she came about, her sails fluttered in the wind, and 
she lay to, almost motionless, and her sails were lowered. 

That’s just as if they were coming into port,” said 
Burke. 

^^Yes,” said Shirley; /Hhey are throwing a lead. I 
expect they intend to drop anchor.” 

This surmise was correct ; for in a very short time the 
anchor went down with a splash. 

They’re very business-like,” said Burke. ^^Look at 
them ; they are lowering a boat.” 

A boat ! ” exclaimed Shirley. They’re lowering two 
of them.” 

The Captain knit his brows. This was extraordinary 
action on the part of the vessel. Why did she steer so 
straight for land ? Why did she so quickly drop anchor 
and put out two boats ? Could it be that this vessel had 
been on their track? Could it be that the Peruvian 
Government — But he could not waste time in surmise 
as to what might be. They must act, not conjecture. 

It was not a minute before the Captain made up his 
mind how they should act. Five men were in each boat, 
and with a glass it was easy to see that some of them 
carried guns. 

Get your rifles ! ” cried he to Shirley and Burke, and 
he rushed for his own. 

The arms and ammunition had been all laid ready in 
the tent, and in a moment each one of the white men 
had a rifle and a belt of cartridges. For the blacks, there 
were no guns, as they would not have known how to use 
them, but they ran about in great excitement, each with 
his knife drawn, blindly ready to do whatever should 
be ordered. The poor negroes were greatly frightened. 
They had but one idea about the approaching boats ; they 


THE BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN WALL 293 


believed that the men in them were Kackbirds coming to 
wreak vengeance upon them. The same idea had come 
into the mind of the Captain. Some of the Kackbirds 
had gone back to the cove ; they had known that there 
had been people there; they had made investigations, 
and found the cave and the empty mound, and in some 
way had discovered that the Miranda’’ had gone off 
with its contents. Perhaps the black fellow who had 
deserted the vessel at Valparaiso had betrayed them. 
He hurriedly mentioned his suspicions to his companions. 

I shouldn’t wonder,” said Burke, “ if that Inkspot 
had done it. Perhaps he could talk a good deal better 
than we thought. But I vow I wouldn’t have supposed 
that he would be the man to go back on us. I thought 
he was the best of the lot.” 

^^Get behind that wall of bags,” cried the Captain, 
every one of you. Whoever they are, we will talk to 
them over a breastwork.” 

think we shall have to do more than talk,” said 
Burke ; for a blind man could see that there are guns in 
those boats.” 


CHAPTEE XL 

THE BATTLE OP THE GOLDEN WALL 

The five men now got behind the barrier of bags, but 
before following them. Captain Horn, with the butt of 
his rifle, drew a long, deep furrow in the sand about a 
hundred feet from the breastwork of bags, and parallel 
with it. Then he quickly joined the others. 

The three white men stationed themselves a little dis- 


294 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


tance apart, and each moved a few of the top bags so as 
to get a good sight between them, and not expose them- 
selves too much. 

As the boats came on, the negroes crouched on the sand 
entirely out of sight, while Shirley and Burke each knelt 
down behind the barrier with his rifle laid in a crevice in 
the top. The Captain’s rifle was in his hand, but he did 
not yet prepare for action. He stooped down, but his 
head was sufficiently above the barrier to observe every- 
thing. 

The two boats came rapidly on, and were run upon the 
beach, and the men jumped out and drew them up high 
and safe. Then, without the slightest hesitation, the ten 
of them, each with a gun in his hand, advanced in a body 
toward the line of bags. 

^^Ahoy!” shouted the Captain, suddenly rising from 
behind the barrier. ‘^Who are you, and what do you 
want?” He said this in English, but immediately re- 
peated it in Spanish. 

“ Ahoy, there ! ” cried Cardatas. Are you Captain 
Horn ? ” 

Yes, I am,” said the Captain ; “ and you must halt 
where you are. The first man who passes that line is 
shot.” 

Cardatas laughed, and so did some of the others, but 
they all stopped. 

We’ll stop here a minute, to oblige you,” said Carda- 
tas; “but we’ve got something to say to you, and you 
might as well listen to it.” 

Shirley and Burke did not understand a word of these 
remarks, for they did not know Spanish, but each of 
them kept his eye running along the line of men who 
still stood on the other side of the furrow the Captain 


THE BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN WALL 295 


had made in the sand, and if one of them had raised his 
gun to fire at their skipper, it is probable that he would 
have dropped ; for Shirley and Burke had been born and 
bred in the country, they were hunters, and were both 
good shots. It was on account of their fondness for sport 
that they had been separated from the rest of their party 
on the first day of the arrival of the people from the 

Castor ” at the caves. 

“ What have you to say ? ’’ said the Captain. Speak 
quickly.’’ 

Cardatas did not immediately answer ; for Nunez was 
excitedly talking to him. The soul of the horse dealer 
had been inflamed by the sight of the bags. He did not 
suppose it possible that they could all contain gold, but 
he knew they must be valuable or they would not have 
been carried up there, and he was advising a rush for the 
low wall. 

We will see what we can do with them, first,” said 
Cardatas to Nunez ; “ some of us may be shot if we are in 
too great a hurry. They are well defended where they 
are, and we may have to get round into their rear. Then 
we can settle their business very well, for the negro said 
there were only three white men. But first let us talk 
to them. We may manage them without running any 
risks.” 

Cardatas turned toward the Captain, and at the same 
time Burke said : 

Captain, hadn’t you better squat down a little? 
You’re making a very fine mark of yourself.” 

But the Captain still stood up to listen to Cardatas. 

“I’ll tell you what we’ve come for,” said the latter. 
“We are not ofiicers of the law, but we are the same 
thing. We know all about you and the valuable stuff 


296 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


you’ve run away with, and we’ve been offered a reward 
to bring back those bags, and to bring you back, too, dead 
or alive, and here we are, ready to do it. It was good 
luck for us that your vessel came to grief, but we should 
have got you, even if she hadn’t. We were sure to over- 
haul you in the Straits. We know all about you and 
that old hulk, but we are fair and square people, and 
we’re sailors, and we don’t want to take advantage ol 
anybody, especially of sailors who have had misfortunes. 
Now the reward the Californian Government has offered 
us is not a very big one, and I think you can do better 
by us ; so if you’ll agree to come out from behind that 
breastwork and talk to us fair and square, your two 
white men and your three negroes, — you see we know 
all about you, — I think we can make a bargain that’ll 
suit all around. The Government of California hasn’t 
any claim on us, and we don’t see why we should serve it 
any more than we should serve you, and it will be a good 
deal better for you to be content with half the treasure 
you’ve gone off with, or perhaps a little more than that, 
and let us have the rest. We will take you off on our 
vessel and land you at any port you want to go to, and 
you can take your share of the bags ashore with you. 
Now that’s what I call a fair offer, and I think you will 
say so, too.” 

Captain Horn was much relieved by part of this 
speech. He had had a slight fear, when Cardatas began, 
that these men might have been sent out by the Peruvian 
Government, but now he saw they were a set of thieves, 
whether Rackbirds or not, doing business on their own 
account. 

“ The Californian Government has nothing to do with 
me,” cried Captain Horn, “ and it never had anything to 


THE BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN WALL 297 


do with you, either. Wlien you say that, you lie ! I am 
not going to make any bargain with you, or have any- 
thing to do with you. My vessel is wrecked, but we can 
take care of ourselves. And now I’ll give you five min- 
utes to get to your boats, and the quicker you go, the 
better for you ! ” 

At this, ISTunez stepped forward, his face red with pas- 
sion. ^^Look here, you Yankee thief,” he cried, we’ll 
give you just one minute to come out from behind that 
pile of bags. If you don’t come, we’ll — ” 

But if he said any more. Captain Horn did not hear it ; 
for at that moment Burke cried : 

Drop, Captain ! ” And the Captain dropped. 

Stung by the insult he had received, and unable to 
resist the temptation of putting an end to the discussion 
by shooting Captain Horn, Cardatas raised his rifle to 
his shoulder, and almost in the same instant that the 
Captain’s body disappeared behind the barrier, he fired ; 
but the bullet had scarcely left his barrel when another 
ball, fired by Shirley, struck Cardatas under his uplifted 
left arm, and stretched him on the sand. 

A shock ran through the attacking party, and instinc- 
tively they retreated several yards. So suddenly had 
they lost their leader that, for a few moments, they did 
not seem to understand the situation; but, on a shout 
from one of them to look out for themselves, every man 
dropped flat upon the beach, behind a low bank of sand 
scarcely a foot high. This was not much protection, but 
it was better than standing up as marks for the rifles 
behind the barrier. 

The men from the Arato ” were very much surprised 
by what had happened. They had expected to have an 
easy job with the crew of the Miranda.” As soon as the 


298 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

sailor Sanchez had seen the stranded brig, he had recog- 
nized her ; and Cardatas, as well as the rest of them, had 
thought that there would be nothing to do but to go on 
shore with a party of well-armed men, and possess them- 
selves of whatever treasure she had brought to this de- 
serted coast. But to find her crew strongly intrenched 
and armed, had very much amazed them. 

Nunez’s anger had disappeared, and his accustomed 
shrewdness had taken its place; for he now saw that 
very serious business was before them. He was not 
much of a soldier, but he knew enough to understand 
that in the plan proposed by Cardatas, lay their only 
hope of success. It would be ridiculous to lie there and 
waste their ammunition on that wall of bags. He was 
lying behind the others, and raised his head just enough 
to tell them what they should do. 

^‘We must get into their rear,” he said. ^^We must 
creep along the sand until we reach those bushes up 
there, and then we can get behind them. I’ll go first, 
and you can follow me.” 

At this, he began to work himself along the beach, 
somewhat after the fashion of an earthworm; but the 
men paid no attention to him. There was little disci- 
pline among them, and they had no respect for the 
horse dealer as a commander; so they remained on the 
sands, eagerly talking among themselves. Some of them 
were frightened, and favored a rush for the boats ; but 
this advice brought down curses from the others. What 
were three men to nine, that they should run away ? 

Burke now became tired of waiting to see what would 
happen next, and, putting his hat on a little stick, he 
raised it a short distance above the breastwork. Instantly 
one of the more excitable men from the “ Arato ” fired at it. 


THE BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN WALL 299 


^^Very good,” said Burke; “they want to keep it up, 
do they ? Now, Captain,” he continued, “ we can see the 
backs and legs of most of them ; shall we fire at them ? 
That will be just as good as killing them. They mean 
fight, that’s easy to see.” 

But the Captain was not willing to follow Burke’s 
advice. 

“ I don’t want to wound or maim them,” he replied ; 
“let’s give them a volley just over their heads, and let 
them see what we are prepared to do. Now then, when 
I give the word ! ” 

In a few moments, three shots rang out from the in- 
trenchment, and the bullets went whistling over the pros- 
trate bodies of the men on the sand. But these tactics 
did not have the effect Captain Horn hoped for. They 
led to no waving of handkerchiefs, nor any show of an 
intention to treat with an armed and intrenched foe. 
Instead of that, the man Sanchez sprang to his feet and 
cried : 

“ Come on, boys, over the wall and at them before they 
can reload ! ” 

At this, all the men sprang up and dashed toward the 
line of bags, Nunez with them. Somebody might get 
hurt in this wild charge, but he must reach the treasure 
as soon as the others. He must not fail in that. But 
Sanchez made a great mistake when he supposed that 
Captain Horn and his men fought with such arms as the 
muzzle-loading rifles and shot-guns, which the “Arato’s ” 
men had thought quite sufficient to bring with them for 
the work they had to do. Captain Horn, when he had 
fitted out the “Miranda,” had supplied himself and his 
two white men with fine repeating rifles, and the “Arato’s ” 
men had scarcely crossed the line which had been drawn 


300 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 


on the sand before there were three shots from the bar- 
rier, and three of the enemy dropped. Even the Captain 
made a good shot this time. 

At this the attacking party stopped, and some of them 
shouted, To the boats ! ” Nunez said nothing, for he 
was dead. There had been much straggling in the line, 
and Shirley had singled him out as one of the leaders. 
Before one of them had turned or a retreat begun, Burke’s 
rifle flashed, and another man fell over against a compan- 
ion, and then down upon the sand. The distance was 
very short, and a bad rifle-shot almost impossible for a 
good hunter. 

Now there was no hesitation; the flve men who had 
life and legs, turned and dashed for the boats. But the 
Captain did not intend, now, that they should escape, and 
rifle after rifle cracked from the barricade, and before they 
reached the boats, four of the flying party had fallen. 
The fifth man stumbled over one of his companions, who 
dropped in front of him, then rose to his feet, threw down 
his gun, and, turning his face toward the shore, held up 
his hands high above his head. 

I surrender ! ” he cried ; and still, with his arms above 
his head, and his face whiter than the distant sands, he 
slowly walked toward the barrier. 

The Captain rose. “ Halt ! ” he cried, and the man 
stood stock-still. ^^Now, my men,” cried the Captain, 
turning to Burke and Shirley, “ keep your eyes on that 
fellow until we reach him, and if he moves, shoot him.” 

The three white men, followed by the negroes, ran down 
to the man, and when they had reached him, they carefully 
searched him to see if he had any concealed weapons. 

After glancing rapidly over the bodies which lay upon 
the sand, the Captain turned to his men. 


THE BATTLE OB^ THE GOLDEN WALL 301 


Come on, every one of yon,” he shouted, “ and run 
out that boat,” pointing to the largest one that had 
brought the ^^Arato’s” men ashore. 

Shirley and Burke looked at him in surprise. 

‘^We want that vessel!” he cried in answer. “Be 
quick ! ” and taking hold of the boat himself, he helped 
the others push it off the sand. “Now, then,” he con- 
tinued, “ Shirley, you and Burke get into the bow with 
your rifles. Tumble in, you black fellows, and each take 
an oar. You,” he said in Spanish to the prisoner, “ get 
in and take an oar too.” 

The Captain took the tiller. Shirley and Burke pushed 
the boat into deep water and jumped aboard, the oars 
dipped, and they were off, regardless of the low surf 
which splashed its crest over the gunwale as the boat 
turned. 

“ Tell me, you rascal,” said the Captain to the prisoner, 
who was tugging at his oar as hard as the others, “ how 
many men are aboard that schooner ? ” 

“ Only two, I swear to you, Senor Capitan ; there were 
twelve of us in all.” 

The men left on the schooner had evidently watched the 
proceedings on shore, and were taking measures accord- 
ingly. 

“ They Ve slipped their anchor, and the tide is running 
out ! ” shouted the Captain. “ Pull ! Pull ! ” 

“ They’re running up their jib ! ” cried Burke. “ Lay to, 
you fellows, or I’ll throw one of you overboard, and take 
his place I ” 

The captured man was thoroughly frightened. They 
were great fighters, these men he had fallen among, and 
he pulled as though he were rowing to rescue his dearest 
friend. The black fellows bent to their oars like mad- 


302 


THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


men. They were thoroughly excited ; they did not know 
what they were rowing for, they only knew they were 
acting under the orders of their Captain, who had just 
killed nine Eackbirds, and their teeth and their eyes 
flashed as their oars dipped and bent. 


CHAPTEE XLI 

THE “ARATO” anchors NEARER SHORE 

On went the boat, each one of the oarsmen pulling 
with all his force, the Captain in the stern, shouting 
and encouraging them, and Shirley and Burke crouched 
in the bow, each with his rifle in hand. Up went the 
jib of the “Arato”; she gently turned about as she felt 
the influence of the wind, and then the Captain believed 
the men on board were trying to get up the fore sail. 

Are you sure there are only two of the crew on that 
schooner?” said the Captain to the prisoner. “Now it 
isn’t worth while to lie to me.” 

“ Only two,” said the man, “I swear to it. Only two, 
Senor Capitan.” 

The fore sail did not go up, for one of the men had to 
run to the wheel, and as the vessel’s head got slowly 
around, it seemed as if she might sail away from the 
boat, even with nothing but the jib set. But the 
schooner gained headway very slowly, and the boat 
neared her rapidly. Now the man at the wheel gave up 
all hope of sailing away from his pursuers, he abandoned 
the helm, and in a few moments two heads and two guns 
showed over the rail, and two shots rang out. But tlie 


THE “ARATO” ANCHORS NEARER SHORE 303 


schooner was rolling, and the aim was bad. Shirley and 
Burke fired at the two heads as soon as they saw them, 
but the boat was rising and pitching, and their shots 
were also bad. 

For a minute there was no more firing, and then one 
of the heads and one of the guns were seen again. Shir- 
ley was ready and made his calculations, and, as the boat 
rose, he drew a bead upon the top of the rail where he 
saw the head, and had scarcely pulled his trigger when 
he saw a good deal more than a head; for a man sprang 
up high in the air and then fell backward. 

The Captain now ordered his men to rest on their oars ; 
for, if the other man on board should show himself, they 
could get a better shot at him than if they were nearer. 
But the man did not show himself, and on consideration 
of his probable tactics it seemed extremely dangerous to 
approach the vessel; even here they were in danger, but 
should they attempt to board her they could not tell 
from what point he might fire down upon them, and 
some of them would surely be shot before they could get 
a chance at him, and the Captain did not wish to sacri- 
fice any of his men, even for a vessel, if it could be 
helped. There seemed to be no hope of safely gaining 
their object, except to wait until the man should become 
tired and impatient, and expose himself. 

Suddenly, to the amazement of every one in the boat, 
for all heads were turned toward the schooner, a man 
appeared, boldly running over her deck. Shirley and 
Burke instantly raised their rifles, but dropped them 
again. There was a shout from Maka, and an exclama- 
tion from the prisoner. Then the man on deck stooped 
close to the rail and was lost to their sight, but almost 
jjjstantly he reappeared again, holding in front of him 


304 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

a struggling pair of legs, feet uppermost. Then, upon 
the rail, appeared a man’s head and body, but it only 
remained there for an instant; for his legs were raised 
still higher by the person behind him, and were then pro- 
pelled outward with such force that he went headlong 
overboard. Then the man on deck sprang to the top of 
the rail, regardless of the rolling of the vessel in the 
gentle swell, and waved his hands above his head. 

Inkspot ! ” shouted the Captain. “ Pull away, you 
fellows, pull ! ” 

The tall, barefooted negro sprang to the deck from his 
perilous position, and soon reappeared with a line ready 
to throw to the boat. 

In a few minutes they reached the vessel, and the boat 
was quickly made fast, and very soon they were on 
board. When he saw his old friends and associates 
upon the deck, Inkspot retired a little distance and fell 
upon his knees. 

“You black rascal!” roared Burke, “you brought 
these cut-throat scoundrels down upon us! You — ” 

“That will do,” said the Captain; “there is no time 
for that sort of thing now. We will talk to him after- 
ward. Mr. Shirley, call all hands and get up sail. I 
am going to take this schooner inside the headland. We 
can find safe anchorage in the bay. We can sail over 
the same course we went on with the ‘ Miranda, ’ and 
she drew more water than this vessel.” 

In an hour the “ Arato,” moored by her spare anchor, 
lay in the little bay, less than two hundred yards from 
shore. It gave the shipwrecked men a wild delight to 
find themselves again upon the decks of a seaworthy 
vessel, and everybody worked with a will, especially the 
prisoner and Inkspot ; and when the last sail had been 


THE “ARATO” ANCHORS NEARER SHORE 305 


furled, it became evident to all hands on board that they 
wanted their breakfast, and this need was speedily sup- 
plied by Maka and Inkspot from the Arato’s stores. 

That afternoon the Captain went on shore with the 
negroes and the Chilian prisoner, and the bodies of the 
nine men, who had fallen in the attack upon the wall 
of gold, were buried where they lay. This was a very 
different climate from that of the Peruvian coast, where 
the desiccating air speedily makes a mummy of any dead 
body upon its arid sands. 

When this work had been accomplished, the party re- 
turned to the “Arato,” and the Captain ordered Inkspot 
and the prisoner to be brought aft to be tried by court 
martial. The big negro had been wildly and vociferously 
received by his fellow-countrymen, who, upon every 
possible occasion, had jabbered together in their native 
tongue, but Captain Horn had, so far, said nothing to 
him. 

The Captain had been greatly excited from the moment 
he had seen the sail in the offing. In his dire distress?, 
on this almost desolate shore, he had beheld what might 
prove to be speedy relief, and, much as he had needed it, 
he had hoped that it might not come so soon ; he had been 
apprehensive and anxious when he supposed friendly 
aid might be approaching, and he had been utterly as- 
tounded when he was forced to believe that they were 
armed men who were rowing to shore, and must be ene- 
mies; he had fought a terrible fight; he had conquered 
the scoundrels who had come for his life and his treasure, 
and, best of all, he had secured a vessel which would 
carry him and his men and his fortune to Prance. He 
had endeavored to keep cool and think only of the work 
that was immediately in hand, and he had nq wish to ask 


306 THE ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


anybody why or how things had happened; they had 
happened, and that was all in all to him. But now he 
was ready to make all necessary inquiries, and he began 
with Inkspot. Maka being interpreter, the examination 
was easily carried on. 

The story of the negro was a very interesting one ; he 
told of his adventures on shore, and how kind the men 
had been to him until they went on board the “ Arato,” 
and how then they treated him as if he had been a dog; 
how he had been made to do double duty in all sorts of 
disagreeable work, and how, after they had seen the 
light on the beach, he had been put into the hold and 
tied hand and foot. While down there in the dark he 
had heard the firing on shore, and after a long while the 
firing from the deck, and other shots near by. All this 
had so excited him that he managed to get one hand 
loose from his cords, and then had speedily unfastened 
the rest, and had quietly crept to a hatchway, where he 
could watch what was going on without showing himself. 
He had seen the two men on deck ready to fire on the 
approaching boat; he had recognized Captain Horn and 
the people of the “ Miranda ” in the boat; and then, when 
there was but one man left on deck, and the boat was 
afraid to come nearer, he had rushed up behind him and 
tumbled him overboard. 

One thing only did Inkspot omit; he did not say that 
it was Mr. Burke’s example that had prompted him to 
go ashore for refreshments. When the story had been 
told, and all questions asked and answered, the Captain 
turned to Burke and Shirley and asked their opinions 
upon the case. Shirley was in favor of putting the 
negro in irons. He had deserted them, and had nearly 
cost them their lives by the stories he had told on shore. 


THE ‘"ARATO” ANCHORS NEARER SHORE 307 


Burke, to the Captaiu^s surprise, — for the second mate 
generally dealt severely with nautical transgressions, — 
was in favor of clemency. 

To be sure, ” said he, the black scoundrel did get us 
into trouble ; but then, don’t you see, he has got us out 
of it. If these beastly fellows hadn’t been led by him 
to come after our money, we would not have had this 
schooner, and how we should have got those bags away 
without her, — to say nothing of ourselves, — is more than 
I can fathom. It is my belief that no craft ever comes 
within twenty miles of this coast, if she can help it. So 
I vote for letting him off. He didn’t intend to do us 
any harm, and he didn’t intend to do us any good, but it 
seems to me that the good he did do rises higher above 
the water-line than the harm ; so I say, let him off. 
We need another hand about as much as we need 
anything.” 

“And so say I,” said the Captain. “Maka, you can 
tell him we forgive him, because we believe that he is 
really a good fellow and didn’t intend any harm, and he 
can turn in with the rest of you on his old watch. And 
now bring up that Chilian fellow.” 

The prisoner, who gave his name as Anton Garta, was 
now examined in regard to the schooner “Arato,” her 
extraordinary cruise, and the people who had devised 
it. Garta was a fellow of moderate intelligence, and 
still very much frightened ; and having little wit with 
which to concoct lies, and no reason for telling them, he 
answered the questions put to him as correctly as his 
knowledge permitted. He said that about two months 
before he had been one of the crew of the “ Arato,” and 
Manuel Cardatas was second mate, and he had been very 
glad to join her on this last cruise because he was out of 


308 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

a job. He thought she was going to Callao for a cargo, 
and so did the rest of the crew. They did not even know 
there were guns on board until they were out at sea. 
Then, when they had turned southward, their captain 
and Senor Nunez told them that they were going in pur- 
suit of a treasure ship, commanded by a Yankee captain, 
who had run away with ever so much money from Cali- 
fornia, and that they were sure to overhaul this ship, and 
that they would all be rich. 

The guns were given to them, and they had had some 
practice with them, and thought that Cardatas intended, 
should the Miranda^’ be overhauled, to run alongside of 
her as near as was safe, and begin operations by shoot- 
ing everybody that could be seen on deck. He was not 
sure that this was his plan, but they all had thought it 
was. After the storm, the men had become dissatisfied, 
and said they did not believe it was possible to overhaul 
any vessel after so much delay, and when they had gone 
so far out of their course; and Senor Nunez, who had 
hired the vessel, was in doubt as to whether it would be 
of any use to continue the cruise. But when Cardatas 
had talked to him, Senor Nunez had come among them 
and promised them good rewards, whether they sighted 
their prize or not, if they would work faithfully for ten 
days more. The men had agreed to do this, but when 
they had seen the light on shore, they had made a con- 
tract among themselves that, if this should be nothing 
but a fire built by some savages or shipwrecked people 
of no account, they would not work the schooner any 
further south. They would put Cardatas and Nunez in 
irons, if necessary, and take the “ Arato ’’ back to Valpa- 
raiso. There were men among them who could navi- 
gate. But when they got near enough to shore to see 


THE “ARATO” ANCHORS NEARER SHORE 809 


that the stranded vessel was the “ Miranda, ’’ there was 
no more insubordination. 

As for himself, Garta said he was a plain, common 
sailor, who went on board the ‘‘Arato’’ because he 
wanted a job. If he had known the errand on which she 
was bound, he would never have approached within a 
league of her. This he vowed, by all tlie saints. As to 
the ownership of the vessel, Garta could tell but little. 
He had heard that Cardatas had a share in her, and 
thought that probably the other owners lived in Valpa- 
raiso, but he could give no positive information on this 
subject. He said that every man of the boat^s crew was 
in a state of wild excitement when they saw that long 
pile of bags, which they knew must contain treasure of 
some sort, and it was because of this state of mind, most 
likely, that Cardatas lost his temper and got himself 
shot, and so opened the fight. Cardatas was a cunning 
fellow, and, if he had not been upset by the sight of 
those bags, Garta believed that he would have regularly 
besieged Captain Horn’s party, and must have overcome 
them in the end. He was anxious to have the Captain 
believe that, when he had said there were only two men 
on board, he had totally forgotten the negro, who had 
been left below. 

When Garta’ s examination had been finished, the 
Captain sent him forward, and then repeated his story 
in brief to Shirley and Burke ; for, as the prisoner had 
spoken in Spanish, they had understood but little of it. 

‘^1 don’t see that it makes much difference,” said 
Burke, ^^as to what his story is. We’ve got to get rid 
of him in some way; we don’t want to carry him about 
with us. We might leave him here, with a lot of grub 
and a tent ; that would be all he deserves.” 


310 THE ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

should put him in irons, to begin with,” said Shir- 
ley, ^‘and then we can consider what to do with him 
when we have time.” 

“I shall not leave him on shore,” said the Captain, 
‘‘for that would simply be condemning him to starva- 
tion; and, as for putting him in irons, that would deprive 
us of an able seaman. I suppose if we took him to 
France, he would have to be sent to Chili for trial, and 
that would be of no use, unless we went there as wit- 
nesses. It is a puzzling question to know what to do 
with him.” 

“ It is that, ” said Burke, “ and it is a great pity he 
wasn’t shot with the others.” 

“Well,” said the Captain, “we’ve got a lot of work 
before us, and we want hands, so I think it will be best 
to let him turn in with the rest, and make him pay for 
his passage wherever we take him. The worst he can 
do is to desert, and if he does that, he will settle his own 
business, and we shall have no more trouble with him.” 

“I don’t like him,” said Shirley; “I don’t think we 
ought to have such a fellow going about freely on 
board.” 

“ I am not afraid he will hurt any of us, ” said the Cap- 
tain, “and I am sure he will not corrupt the negroes. 
They hate him; it is easy to see that.” 

“Yes,” said Burke, with a laugh; “they think he is a 
Kackbird, and it is just as well to let them keep on think- 
ing so.” 

“Perhaps he is,” thought the Captain; but he did not 
speak this thought aloud. 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 311 


CHAPTER XLII 

INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 

The next day the work of loading the “ Arato ” with 
the bags of gold was begun, and it was a much slower 
and more difficult business than the unloading of the 
Miranda ” ; for the schooner lay much further out from 
the beach. But there were two men more than on the 
former occasion, and the Captain did not push the work. 
There was no need now for extraordinary haste, and, 
although they all labored steadily, regular hours of work 
and rest were adhered to. The men had carried so many 
bags filled with hard and uneven lumps, that the shoul- 
ders of some of them were tender, and they had to use 
cushions of canvas under their loads ; but the boats went 
backward and forward, and the bags were hoisted on 
board and lowered into the hold, and the wall of gold 
grew smaller and smaller. 

‘‘Captain,” said Burke one day, as they were standing 
by a pile of bags waiting for the boat to come ashore, 
“do you think it is worth it? By George, we have 
loaded and unloaded these blessed bags all down the 
western coast of South America, and if we’ve got to 
unload and load them all up the east coast, I say, let’s 
take what we really need and leave the rest.” 

“ I’ve been at the business a good deal longer than you 
have,” said the Captain, “and I’m not tired of it yet. 
When I took away my first cargo, you must remember 
that I carried each bag on my own shoulders, and it took 
me more than a month to do it, and even all that is only 
a drop in a bucket compared to what most men, who call 
themselves rich, have to do before they make their money.” 


312 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“All right,” said Burke, “I’ll stop growling; but, 
look here, Captain, how much do you suppose one of 
these bags is worth, and how many are there in all? I 
don’t want to be inquisitive, but it would be a sort of 
comfort to know.” 

“No, it wouldn’t,” said the Captain, quickly; “it 
would be anything else but a comfort. I know how 
many bags there are, but as to what they are worth, I 
don’t know, and I don’t want to know. I once set about 
calculating it, but I didn’t get very far with the figures. 
I need all my wits to get through with this business, and 
I don’t think anything would be more likely to scatter 
them than calculating what this gold is worth. It would 
be a good deal better for you — and for me, too — to 
consider, as Shirley does, that these bags are all filled 
with good, clean, anthracite coal. That won’t keep us 
from sleeping.” 

“ Shirley be hanged ! ” said Burke ; “ he and you may 
be able to do that, but I can’t. I’ve got a pretty strong 
mind, and if you were to tell me that when we get to 
port and you discharge this crew, I can walk off with all 
the gold eagles or twenty-franc pieces I can carry, I 
think I could stand it without losing my mind.” 

“All right,” said the Captain; “if we get this vessel 
safely to France, I will give you a good chance to try 
your nerves.” 

Day by day the work went on, and at last the “ Arato ” 
took the place of the “Miranda” as a modern Argo. 

During the re-embarkation of the treasure, the Cap- 
tain, as well as Shirley and Burke, had kept a sharp eye 
on Garta. The two mates were afraid he might run 
away, but, had he done so, the Captain would not have 
regretted it very much. He would gladly have parted 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 313 


■with one of the bags in order to get rid of this encum- 
brance. But the prisoner had no idea of running away. 
He knew that the bags were filled with treasure, but, as 
he could now do nothing with any of it that he might 
steal, he did not try to steal any. If he had thoughts 
of the kind, he knew this was no time for dishonest opera- 
tion. He had always been a hard-working sailor, with a 
good appetite, and he worked hard now, and ate well. 

The ‘‘Miranda’s” stores had not been injured by 
water, and when they had been put on board, the 
“ Arato ” was well fitted out for a long voyage. Leaving 
the “Miranda” on the beach, with nothing in her of 
much value, the “Arato,” which had cleared for Callao, 
and afterward set out on a wild piratical cruise, now 
made a third start, and set sail for a voyage to France. 
They had good weather and tolerably fair winds, and 
before they entered the Straits of Magellan, the Captain 
had formulated a plan for the disposition of Garta. 

“I don’t know anything better to do with him,” said 
he to Shirley and Burke, “than to put him ashore at the 
Falkland Islands. We don’t want to take him to France ; 
for we would not know what to do with him after we got 
him there, and, as likely as not, he would swear a lot of 
lies against us as soon as he got on shore. We can run 
within a league of Stanley Harbor, and then, if the 
weather is good enough, we can put him in a boat, with 
something to eat and drink, and let him row himself into 
port. We can give him money enough to support him- 
self until he can procure work.” 

“But suppose there is a man-of-war in there,” said 
Shirley, “ he might say things that would send her after 
us. He might not know where to say we got our treas- 
ure, but he could say we had stolen a Chilian vessel.” 


314 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


‘‘I had thought of that,” said the Captain, ^^but noth- 
ing such a vagrant as he is could say ought to give any 
cruiser the right to interfere with us when we are sailing 
under the American flag. And when I go to France, 
nobody shall say that I stole a vessel; for, if the owners 
of the ‘ Arato ’ can be found, they shall be well paid for 
what use we have made of their schooner. 1^11 send 
her back to Valparaiso and let her be claimed.” 

‘^It is a ticklish business,” said Burke, “but I don^t 
know what else can be done. It is a great pity I didn^t 
know he was going to surrender when we had that fight.” 

They had been in the Straits less than a week when 
Inkspot dreamed he was in heaven. His ecstatic visions 
became so strong and vivid that they awakened him, 
when he was not long in discovering the cause which 
had produced them. The dimly lighted and quiet fore- 
castle was permeated by a delightful smell of spirituous 
liquor. Turning his eyes from right to left, in his en- 
deavors to understand this unusual odor of luxury. Ink- 
spot perceived the man Garta standing on the other side 
of the forecastle, with a bottle in one hand and a cork in 
the other, and, as he looked, Garta raised the bottle to 
his mouth, threw back his head, and drank. 

Inkspot greatly disliked this man. He had been one 
of the fellows who had ill-treated him when the “Arato ” 
sailed under Cardatas, and he fully agreed with his fel- 
low-blacks that the scoundrel should have been shot. 
But now his feelings began to undergo a change. A man 
with a bottle of spirits might prove to be an angel of 
mercy, a being of beneficence, and if he would share 
with a craving fellow-being his rare good fortune, why 
should not all feelings of disapprobation be set aside! 
Inkspot could see no reason why they should not be, 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 815 

and, softly slipping from his hammock, he approached 
Garta. 

^^Give me. Give me, just little,’’ he whispered. 

Garta turned with a half-suppressed oath, and, seeing 
who the suppliant was, he seized the bottle in his left 
hand, and with his right struck poor Inkspot a blow in 
the face. Without a word the negro stepped back, and 
then Garta put the bottle into a high, narrow opening in 
the side of the forecastle, and closed a little door upon 
it, which fastened with a snap. This little locker, just 
large enough to hold one bottle, had been made by one 
of the former crew of the Arato ” solely for the purpose 
of concealing spirits, and was very ingeniously contrived; 
its door was a portion of the side of the forecastle, and a 
keyhole was concealed behind a removable knot. Garta 
had not opened the locker before, for the reason that he 
had been unable to find the key. He knew it had been 
concealed in the forecastle, but it had taken him a long 
time to find it. Now his secret was discovered, and he 
was enraged. Going over to the hammock, where Ink- 
spot had again ensconced himself, he leaned over the 
negro and whispered : 

“ If you ever say a word of that bottle to anybody, I’ll 
put a knife into you! No matter what they do to me, 
I’ll settle with you.” 

Inkspot did not understand all this, but he knew it 
was a threat, and he well understood the language of a 
blow in the face. After a while he went to sleep, but, 
if he smelt again the odor of the contents of the bottle, 
he had no more heavenly dreams. 

The next day Captain Horn found himself off the con- 
vict settlement of Punta Arenas, belonging to the 
Chilian Government. This was the first port he had 


316 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

approached since he had taken command of the ‘‘Arato,” 
but he felt no desire nor need to touch at it. In fact, 
the vicinity of Punta Arenas seemed of no importance 
whatever, until Shirley came to him and reported that 
the man Garta was nowhere to be found. Captain Horn 
immediately ordered a search and inquiry to be made, 
but no traces of the prisoner could be discovered, nor 
could anybody tell anything about him. Burke and Ink- 
spot had been on watch with him from four to eight, but 
they could give no information whatever concerning 
him. No splash nor cries for help had been heard, so 
that he could not have fallen overboard, and it was gen- 
erally believed that, when he knew himself to be in the 
vicinity of a settlement, he had quietly slipped into the 
water and had swam for Punta Arenas. Burke suggested 
that most likely he had formerly been a resident of the 
place, and liked it better than being taken off to unknown 
regions in the schooner; and Shirley considered this 
very probable, for he said the man had always looked like 
a convict to him. 

At all events, Garta was gone, and there was no one 
to say how long he had been gone. So, under full sail, 
the Arato ” went on her way. It was a relief to get rid 
of the prisoner, and the only harm which could come of 
his disappearance was that he might report that his ship 
had been stolen by the men who were sailing her, and 
that some sort of a vessel might be sent in pursuit of 
the Arato”; and, if this should be the case, the sit- 
uation would be awkward. But days passed on, the 
schooner sailed out of the Straits, and no vessel was 
seen pursuing her. 

To the northeast. Captain Horn set his course. He 
would not stop at Bio Janeiro, for the Arato ” had no 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 317 


papers for that port; he would not lay to off Stanley 
Harbor, for he had now nobody to send ashore; but he 
would sail boldly for France, where he would make no 
pretensions that his auriferous cargo was merely ballast. 
He was known at Marseilles ; he had business relations 
with bankers in Paris; he was a Californian and an 
American citizen, and he would merely be bringing to 
France a vessel freighted with gold, which, by the aid 
of his financial advisers, would be legitimately cared for 
and disposed of. 

One night, before the Arato ” reached the Falkland 
Islands, Maka, who was on watch, heard a queer sound 
in the forecastle, and, looking down the companion way, 
he saw, by the dim light of the swinging lantern, a man 
with a hatchet, endeavoring to force the blade of it into 
the side of the vessel. Maka quickly perceived that the 
man was Inkspot, and, as he could not imagine what he 
was doing, he quietly watched him. Inkspot worked 
with as little noise as possible, but he was evidently 
bent upon forcing off one of the boards on the side of 
the forecastle. At first Maka thought that his fellow- 
African was trying to sink the ship by opening a seam, 
but he soon realized that this notion was absurd, and so 
he let Inkspot go on, being very curious to know what 
he was doing. In a few minutes he knew. With a 
slight noise, not enough to waken a sound sleeper, a 
little door flew open, and almost immediately Inkspot 
held a bottle in his hand. Now Maka slipped swiftly 
and softly to the side of the big negro, but he was not 
quick enough. Inkspot had the neck of the bottle in his 
mouth and the bottom raised high in the air; but, before 
Maka could seize him by the arm, the bottle had come 
down from its elevated position, and a doleful expres- 


318 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

sion crept over the face of Inhspot. There had been 
scarcely a teaspoonful of liquor left in the bottle. Ink- 
spot looked at Maka, and Maka looked at him. In an 
African whisper, the former now ordered the disap- 
pointed negro to put the bottle back, to shut up the 
locker, and then to get into his hammock and go to 
sleep as quickly as he could; for if Mr. Shirley, who was 
on watch on deck, found out what he had been doing, 
Inkspot would wish he had never been born. 

The next day, when they had an opportunity for an 
African conversation, Inkspot assured his countryman 
that he had discovered the little locker by smelling the 
whiskey through the boards, and that, having no key, 
he had determined to force it open with a hatchet. Maka 
could not help thinking that Inkspot had a wonderful 
nose for an empty bottle, and could scarcely restrain 
from a shudder at the thought of what might have hap- 
pened had the bottle been full ; but he did not report the 
occurrence. Inkspot was a fellow-African, and he had 
barely escaped punishment for his former misdeed. It 
would be better to keep his mouth shut, and he did. 

Against the north winds, before the south winds, and 
on the winds from the east and the west, through fair 
weather and through foul, the “ Arato ” sailed up the 
South Atlantic. It was a long, long voyage, but the 
schooner was skilfully navigated and sailed well. Some- 
times she sighted great merchant steamers plying be- 
tween Europe and South America, freighted with rich 
cargoes, and proudly steaming away from the little 
schooner, whose dark green hull could scarcely be distin- 
guished from the color of the waves; and why should 
not the Captain of this humble little vessel sometimes 
have said to himself, as he passed a big three-master or 
a steamer ; 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 319 


What would they think if they knew that, if I chose 
to do it, I could buy every ship, and its cargo, that I 
shall meet between here and Gibraltar! ” 

“Captain,” said Shirley one day, “what do you think 
about the right and wrong of this?” 

“What do you mean?” asked Captain Horn. 

“I mean,” replied Shirley, “taking away the gold we 
have on board. We’ve had pretty easy times lately, and 
I’ve been doing a good deal of thinking, and sometimes I 
have wondered where we got the right to clap all this 
treasure into bags and sail away with it.” 

“So you have stopped thinking the bags are all filled 
with anthracite coal,” said the Captain. 

“Yes,” said the other; “we are getting on toward the 
end of this voyage, and it is about time to give up that 
fancy. I always imagine, when I am near the end of a 
voyage, what I am going to do when I go ashore; and if 
I have any real right to some of the gold down under our 
decks, I shall do something very different from anything 
I ever did before.” 

“I hope you don’t mean going on a spree,” said Burke, 
who was standing near; “that would be something en- 
tirely different.” 

“I thought,” said the Captain, “that you both under- 
stood this business, but I don’t mind going over it again. 
There is no doubt in my mind that this gold originally 
belonged to the Incas, who then owned Peru, and they 
put it into that mound to keep it from the Spaniards, 
whose descendants now own Peru, and who rule it with- 
out much regard to the descendants of the ancient Peru- 
vians. Now, when I discovered the gold and began to 
have an idea of how valuable the find was, I knew that 
the first thing to do was to get it out of that place and 


320 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

away from the country. Whatever is to be done in the 
way of fair play and fair division, must be done some- 
where else, and not there. If I had informed the Govern- 
ment of what I had found, this gold would have gone 
directly into the hands of the descendants of the people 
from whom its original owners did their very best to keep 
it, and nobody else would have had a dollar^s worth of it. 
If we had stood up for our rights to a reward for find- 
ing it, ten to one we would all have been clapped into 
prison.” 

‘‘I suppose by that,” said Burke, ^Hhat you looked 
upon the stone mound in the cave as a sort of will left 
by those old Peruvians, and you made yourself an exec- 
utor to carry out the intentions of the testators, as the 
lawyers say.” 

“But we can set it down as dead certain,” interrupted 
Shirley, “that the testators didn’t mean us to have it.” 

“No,” said the Captain; “nor do I mean that we shall 
have all of it. I intend to have the question of the own- 
ership of this gold decided, by people who are able and 
competent to decide such a question, and who will be fair 
and honest to all parties. But whatever is agreed upon 
and whatever is done with the treasure, I intend to charge 
a good price — a price which shall bear a handsome pro- 
portion to the value of the gold — for my services, and 
all our services. Some of this charge I have already 
taken, and I intend to have a great deal more. We have 
worked hard and risked much to get this treasure — ” 

“Yes,” thought Burke, as he remembered the trap at 
the bottom of the mound ; “ you risked a great deal more 
than you ever supposed you did.” 

“And we are bound to be well paid for it,” continued 
the Captain. “No matter where this gold goes, I shall 


INKSPOT HAS A DREAM OF HEAVEN 321 


have a good share of it, and this I am going to divide 
among our party, according to a fair scale. How does 
that strike you, Shirley?” 

If the business is going to be conducted as you say. 
Captain,” replied the first mate, “I say it will be all fair 
and square, and I needn’t bother my head with any more 
doubts about it. But there is one thing I wish you 
would tell me; how much do you think I will be likely 
to get out of this cargo when you divide?” 

‘‘Mr. Shirley,” said the Captain, “when I give you 
your share of this cargo, you can have about four bags 
of anthracite coal, weighing a little over one hundred 
pounds, which, at the rate of six dollars a ton, would 
bring you between thirty or forty cents. Will that sat- 
isfy you? Of course, this is only a rough guess at a 
division, but I want to see how it falls in with your 
ideas.” 

Shirley laughed. “I guess you’re right. Captain,” 
said he; “it will be better for me to keep on thinking 
we are carrying coal. That won’t bother my head.” 

“That’s so,” said Burke; “your brain can’t stand that 
sort of badger. I’d hate to go ashore with you at Mar- 
seilles with your pocket full and your skull empty. As 
for me, I can stand it first-rate. I have already built 
two houses on Cape Cod, — in my head, of course, — and 
I’ll be darned if I know which one I am going to live in 
and which one I am going to put my mother in.” 

T 


322 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTEE XLIII 

MOK AS A VOCALIST 

It would have been very comfortable to the mind of 
Edna during her waiting days in Paris, had she known 
there was a letter to her from Captain Horn, in a cottage 
in the town of Sidmouth, on the south coast of Devon- 
shire. Had she known this, she would have chartered 
Erench trains, Channel steamers, English trains, flies, 
anything and everything which would have taken her 
the quickest to the little town of Sidmouth. Had she 
known that he had written to her the first chance he had 
had, all her doubts and perplexities would have vanished 
in an instant. Had she read the letter, she might have 
been pained to find that it was not such a letter as she 
would wish to have, and she might have grieved that it 
might still be a long time before she could expect to hear 
from him again, or to see him, but she would have 
waited; have waited patiently, without any doubts or 
perplexities. 

This letter, with a silver coin, — much more than 
enough to pay any possible postage, — had been handed 
by Shirley to the first mate of the British steamer, in the 
harbor of Valparaiso, and that officer had given it to a 
seaman, who was going on shore, with directions to take 
it to the post-office, and pay for the postage out of the 
silver coin; and whatever change there might be, he 
should keep it for his trouble. On the way to the post- 
office, this sailor stopped to refresh himself, and meeting 
with a fellow-mariner in the place of refreshment, he 
refreshed him also; and by the time the two had re- 
freshed themselves to their satisfaction, there was not 


MOK AS A VOCALIST 


323 


much left of the silver coin — not enough to pay the 
necessary postage to France. 

But,” said the seaman to himself, “ it doesn’t matter 
a bit ; we are bound for Liverpool, and I’ll take the letter 
there myself, and then I’ll send it over to Paris for tup- 
pence ha’penny, which I will have then and haven’t 
now ; and I bet another tuppence, that it will go sooner 
than if I posted it here, for it may be a month before a 
mail steamer leaves the other side of this beastly conti- 
nent. Anyway, I’m doing the best I can.” 

He put the letter in the pocket of his pea-jacket, and 
the bottom of that pocket being ripped, the letter went 
down between the outside cloth and the lining of the pea- 
jacket to the very bottom of the garment, where it 
remained until the aforesaid seaman had reached Eng- 
land and had gone down to see his family, who lived in 
the cottage in Sidmouth ; and there he had hung up his 
pea-jacket on a nail, in a little room next to the kitchen, 
and there his mother had found it and sewed on two 
buttons, and sewed up the rips in the bottoms of two 
pockets. Shortly after this, the sailor, happening to pass 
a post-office box, remembered the letter he had brought 
to England. He went to his pea-jacket and searched it, 
but could find no letter. He must have lost it, — he 
hoped after he had reached England, — and no doubt 
whoever found it would put a tuppence ha’penny stamp 
on it and stick it into a box. Anyway, he had done all 
he could. 

One pleasant spring evening, the negro, Mok, sat be- 
hind a table in the well-known beer-shop, called the 
Black Cat. He had before him a half-emptied beer-glass, 
and in front of him was a pile of three small white 
dishes. These signified that Mok had had three glasses 


324 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


of beer, and when he should finish the one in his hand, 
and should order another, the waiter would bring with it 
another little white plate, which he would put on the 
table, on the pile already there, and which would signify 
that the African gentleman must pay for four glasses of 
beer. 

Mok was enjoying himself very much. It was not often 
that he had such an opportunity to sample the delights 
of Paris. His young master, Kalph, had given him strict 
orders never to go out at night, or in his leisure hours, 
unless accompanied by Cheditafa. The latter was an 
extremely important and sedate personage. The com- 
bined dignity of a butler and a clergyman were more 
than ever evident in his person, and he was a painful 
drawback to the more volatile Mok. Mok had very fine 
clothes, which it rejoiced him to display ; he had a fine 
appetite for everything fit to eat and drink ; he had 
money in his pockets, and it delighted him to see people 
and to see things, although he might not know who they 
were or what they were. He knew nothing of French, 
and his power of expressing himself in English had not 
progressed very far. But on this evening, in the jolly 
precincts of the Black Cat, he did not care whether the 
people used language or not ; he did not care what they 
did, so that he could sit there and enjoy himself. When 
he wanted more beer, the waiter understood him, and 
that was enough. 

The jet-black negro, gorgeously arrayed in the livery 
Kalph had chosen for him, and with his teeth and eye- 
balls whiter than the pile of plates before him, was an 
object of great interest to the company in the beer-shop. 
They talked to him, and, although he did not understand 
them, or answer them, they knew he was enjoying him- 


MOK AS A VOCALIST 


325 


self ; and when the landlord rang a big bell, and a pale 
young man, wearing a high hat, and sitting at a table 
opposite him, threw into his face an expression of exalted 
melancholy, and sang a high-pitched song, Mok showed 
how he appreciated the performance by thumping more 
vigorously on the table than any of the other people who 
applauded the singer. 

Again and again the big bell was rung, and there were 
other songs and choruses, and then the company turned 
toward Mok, and called on him to sing. He did not un- 
derstand them, but he laughed and pounded his fist upon 
the table. But when the landlord came down to his 
table, and rang the bell in front of him, that sent an in- 
forming idea into the African head. He had noticed 
that every time the bell had been rung, somebody had 
sung, and now he knew what was wanted of him. He 
had had four glasses of beer, and he was an obliging 
fellow, so he nodded his head violently, and everybody 
stopped doing what they had been doing, and prepared 
to listen. 

Mok’s repertoire of songs could not be expected to be 
large; in fact, he only knew one musical composition, 
and that was an African hymn which Cheditafa had 
taught him. This he now proceeded to execute. He 
threw back his head, as some of the others had done, 
and emitted a succession of grunts, groans, yelps, barks, 
squeaks, yells, and rattles which utterly electrified the 
audience. Then, as if his breath filled his whole body, 
and quivering and shaking like an angry squirrel when 
it chatters and barks, Mok sang louder and more wildly, 
until the audience, unable to restrain themselves, burst 
into laughter, and applauded with canes, sticks, and fists. 
But Mok kept on ; he had never imagined he could sing 


326 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

SO well. There was only one person in that brasserie 
who did not applaud the African hymn ; but no one paid 
so much attention to it as this man, who had entered the 
Black Cat just as Mok had begun. 

He was a person of medium size, with a heavy mus- 
tache, and a face darkened by a beard of several days’ 
growth. He was rather roughly dressed, and wore a soft 
felt hat. He was a Backbird. 

This man had formerly belonged to the band of despe- 
radoes which had been swept away by a sudden flood on 
the coast of Peru. He had accompanied his comrades 
on the last marauding expedition, previous to that re- 
markable accident, but he had not returned with them. 
He had devised a little scheme of his own, which had 
detained him longer than he had expected, and he was 
not ready to go back with them. It would have been 
difficult for him to reach the camp by himself, and, after 
what he had done, he did not very much desire to go 
there, as he would probably have been shot as a deserter ; 
for Captain Baminez was a savage fellow, and more than 
willing to punish transgressions against his orders. This 
deserter. Banker by name, was an American, who had 
been a gold-digger, a gambler, a rough, and a dead shot 
in California, and he was very well able to take care of 
himself in any part of the world. 

He had made his way up to Panama, and had stayed 
there as long as it was safe for him to do so, and had eventu- 
ally reached Paris. He did not like this city half so well 
as he liked London, but in the latter city he happened to 
be wanted, and he was not wanted in Paris. It was 
generally the case that he stayed where he was not 
wanted. 

Of course. Banker knew nothing of the destruction of 


MOK AS A VOCALIST 


327 


his band, and the fact that he had not heard from them 
since he left them, gave him not the slightest regret. 
But what did astonish him beyond bounds, was to sit at 
a table in the Black Cat, in Paris, and see before him, 
dressed like the valet of a Spanish grandee, a coal-black 
negro, who had once been his especial and particular 
slave and drudge, a fellow whom he had kicked and 
beaten and sworn at, and whom he no doubt would have 
shot had he stayed much longer with his lawless com- 
panions, the Backbirds. There was no mistaking this 
black man ; he well remembered his face, and even the 
tones of his voice. He had never heard him sing, but he 
had heard him howl, and it seemed almost impossible that 
he should meet him in Paris ; and yet he was sure that 
the man who was bellowing and bawling to the delights 
of the guests of the Black Cat was one of the African 
wretches who had been entrapped and enslaved by the 
Eackbirds. 

But if Banker had been astonished by Mok, he was 
utterly amazed and confounded when, some five minutes 
later, the door of the brasserie was suddenly opened and 
another of the slaves of the Eackbirds, with whose face 
he was also perfectly familiar, hurriedly entered. . 

Cheditafa, who had been sent on an errand that evening, 
had missed Mok on his return. Ealph was away in 
Brussels with the Professor, so that his valet, having 
most of his time on his hands, had thought to take a 
holiday during Cheditafa’s absence, and had slipped off 
to the Black Cat, whose pleasures he had surreptitiously 
enjoyed before, but never to such an extent as on this 
occasion. Cheditafa knew he had been here, and when 
he started out to look for him, it was to the Black Cat 
that he went first. 


328 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Before lie had quite reached the door, Cheditafa had 
been shocked and angered to hear his favorite hymn sung 
in a beer-shop by that reprobate and incompetent Mok, 
and he had rushed in and in a minute seized the blatant 
vocalist by the collar, and ordered him instantly to shut 
his mouth and pay his reckoning. Then, in spite of the 
shouts of disapprobation which arose on every side, he 
led away the negro as if he had been a captured dog with 
his tail between his legs. 

Mok could easily have thrown Cheditafa across the 
street, but his respect and reverence for his elder and 
superior were so great that he obeyed his commands 
without a word of remonstrance. 

Now, up sprang Banker, who was in such a hurry to 
go that he forgot to pay for his beer, and when he per- 
formed this duty, after having been abruptly reminded of 
it by a waiter, he was almost too late to follow the two 
black men, but not quite too late. He was an adept in 
the tracking of his fellow-beings, and it was not long 
before he was quietly following Mok and Cheditafa, keep- 
ing at some distance behind them, but never allowing 
them to get out of his sight. 

In the course of a moderate walk he saw them enter 
the Hotel Grenade. This satisfied the wandering Back- 
bird. If the negroes went into that hotel at that time of 
night, they must live there, and he could suspend operar 
tions until morning. 


MR. banker’s speculation 


329 


CHAPTER XLIV 

MR. banker’s speculation 

That night Banker was greatly disturbed by surmises 
and conjectures concerning the presence of the two 
negroes in the French capital. He knew Cheditafa quite 
as well as he knew Mok, and it was impossible that he 
should be mistaken. It is seldom that any one sees a 
native African in Paris, and he was positive that the 
men he had seen, dressed in expensive garments, enjoy- 
ing themselves like gentlemen of leisure, and living at a 
grand hotel, were the same negroes he had last seen in 
rags and shreds, lodged in a cave in the side of a preci- 
pice, toiling and shuddering under the commands of a 
set of desperadoes on a desert coast in South America. 
There was only one way in which he could explain mat- 
ters, and that was that the band had had some great 
success and that one or more of its members had come 
to Paris and had brought the two negroes with them as 
servants. But of one thing he had no doubts, and that 
was that he would follow up the case. He had met with 
no successes of late, but if any of his former comrades 
had, he wanted to meet those dear old friends. In Paris 
he was not afraid of anything they might say about his 
desertion. 

Very early in the morning Banker was in front of the 
Hotel Grenade. He did not loiter there, he did not 
wander up and down like a vagrant or stand about like 
a spy. It was part of his business to be able to be 
present in various places almost at the same time and 
not to attract notice in any of them. It was not until 
after ten o’clock that he saw anything worthy of his 


330 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

observation, and then a carriage drove up to the front 
entrance, and on the seat beside the driver sat Cheditafa, 
erect, solemn, and respectable. Presently the negro got 
down and opened the door of the carriage. In a few 
moments a lady, a beautiful lady, handsomely dressed, 
came out of the hotel and entered the carriage. Then 
Cheditafa shut the door and got up beside the driver 
again. It was a fine thing to have such a footman as 
this one, so utterly different from the ordinary groom or 
footman, so extremely distingu4 ! 

As the carriage rolled off. Banker walked after it, but 
not in such a way as to attract attention, and then he 
entered a cab and told the cocher to drive to the Bon 
Marche. Of course, he did not know where the lady was 
going to, but at present she was driving in the direction 
of that celebrated mart, and he kept his eye upon her 
carriage, and if she had turned out of the Boulevard 
and away from the Seine, he would have ordered his 
driver to turn also and go somewhere else. He did 
not dare to tell the man to follow the carriage. He was 
shaved and his clothes had been put in as good order as 
possible, but he knew that he did not look like a man 
respectable enough to give such an order without excit- 
ing suspicion. 

But the carriage did go to the Bon Marche, and there 
also went the cab, the two vehicles arriving at almost the 
same time. Banker paid his fare with great promptness, 
and was on the pavement in time to see the handsomely 
dressed lady descend and enter the establishment. As 
she went in, he took one look at the back of her bonnet. 
It had a little green feather in it. Then he turned quickly 
upon Cheditafa, who had shut the carriage door and was 
going around behind it in order to get up on the other side. 


MR. banker’s speculation 


331 


^^Look here,” whispered Banker, seizing the clerical 
butler by the shoulder, “ who is that lady ? Quick, or 
I’ll put a knife in you.” 

At these words Cheditafa’s heart almost stopped beat- 
ing, and as he quickly turned he saw that he looked into 
the face of a man, an awfully wicked man, who had once 
helped to grind the soul out of him, in that dreadful cave 
by the sea. The poor negro was so frightened that he 
scarcely knew whether he was in Paris or Peru. 

Who is she ? ” whispered again the dreadful Kackbird. 

Come ! Come ! ” shouted the coachman from his seat, 
we must move on.” 

Quick ! Who is she ? ” hissed Banker. 

She ? ” replied the quaking negro ; she is the Cap- 
tain’s wife. She is — ” But he could say no more, for a 
policeman was ordering the carriage to move on, for it 
stopped the way, and the coachman was calling impa- 
tiently. Banker could not afford to meet a policeman ; he 
released his hold on Cheditafa and retired unnoticed. 
An instant afterward he entered the Bon Marche. 

Cheditafa climbed up to the side of the driver, but he 
missed his foothold several times and came near falling 
to the ground. In all Paris there was no footman on a 
carriage, who looked less upright, less sedate, and less 
respectable than this poor frightened black man. 

Through the corridors and passage-ways of the vast 
establishment went Banker, but he did not have to go far ; 
he saw at a counter a little green feather on the back of 
a bonnet. Quietly he approached that counter, and no 
sooner had the attendant turned aside to get something 
that had been asked for, than Banker stepped close to the 
side of the lady, and leaning forward, said in a very low, 
but polite voice : 


332 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

I am so glad to find the Captain^s wife ; I have been 
looking for her.” 

He was almost certain from her appearance that she 
was an American, and so he spoke in English. 

Edna turned with a start. She saw beside her a man 
with his hat off, a rough-looking man, but a polite one, 
and a man who looked like a sailor. 

The Captain ! ” she stammered. “ Have you — do you 
bring me anything ? A letter ? ” 

Yes, madam,” said he ; I have a letter and a message 
for you.” 

Give them to me quickly ! ” said she, her face 
burning. 

“I cannot,” he said. cannot give them to you 
here. I have much to say to you and much to tell you, 
and I was ordered to say it in private.” 

Edna was astounded. Her heart sank. Captain Horn 
must be in trouble, else why such secrecy? But she 
must know everything, and quickly. Where could she 
meet the man? He divined her thought. 

“ The Gardens of the Tuileries,” said he ; go there 
now, please, I will meet you, no matter in what part of it 
you are.” And so saying he slipped away unnoticed. 

When the salesman came to her, Edna did not remem- 
ber what she had asked to see, but whatever he brought, 
she did not want, and going out she had her carriage 
called and ordered her coachman to take her to the Gar- 
den of the Tuileries. She was so excited that she did not 
wait for Cheditafa to get down, but opened the door her- 
self and stepped in quickly, even before the porter of the 
establishment could attend to her. 

When she reached the Gardens and Cheditafa opened 
the carriage door for her, she thought he must have a fit 


MR. banker’s speculation 


333 


of chills and fever ; but she had no time to consider this, 
and merely told him that she was going to walk in the 
Gardens, and the carriage must wait. 

It was some time before Edna met the man with whom 
she had made this appointment. He had seen her alight, 
and, although he did not lose sight of her, he kept away 
from her, and let her walk on until she was entirely out 
of sight of the carriage. As soon as Edna perceived 
Banker, she walked directly toward him. She had en- 
deavored to calm herself, but he could see that she was 
much agitated. 

How in the devil’s name,” he thought to himself, 
did Baminez ever come to marry such a woman as this ! 
She’s fit for a queen ! But they say he used to be a 
great swell in Spain before he got into trouble, and I 
expect he’s put on his old airs again, and an American 
lady will marry anybody that’s a foreign swell. And 
how neatly she played into my hand ! She let me know 
right away that she wanted a letter, which means, of 
course, that Baminez is not with her.” 

Give me the letter, if you please,” said Edna. 

Madam,” said Banker, with a bow, I told you I had 
a letter and a message. I must deliver the message first.” 

Then be quick with it,” said she. 

I will,” said Banker. “ Our Captain has had great 
success lately, you know, but he is obliged to keep a little 
in the background for the present, as you will see by 
your letter, and as it is a very particular letter indeed, he 
ordered me to bring it to you.” 

Edna’s heart sank. What has happened ? ” said she. 

Oh, you will find all that in the letter,” said Banker ; 
the Captain has written out everything, full and clear. 


334 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

He told me so himself ; but I must get through with my 
message. It is not from him ; it is from me. As I just 
said, he ordered me to bring you this letter, and it was a 
hard thing to do, and a risky thing to do ; but I under- 
took the job of giving it to you, in private, without any- 
body’s knowing you had received it.” 

What ! ” exclaimed Edna. Nobody to know ! ” 

Oh, that is all explained,” said he, hurriedly ; I 
can’t touch on that. My affair is this : the Captain sent 
me with the letter, and I have been to a lot of trouble to 
get it to you. Now he is not going to pay me for all this, 
— if he thanks me, it will be more than I expect, — and 
I am going to be perfectly open and honest with you, and 
say that as the Captain won’t pay me, I expect you to do 
it ; or, putting it in another way, before I hand you the 
letter I brought you, I want you to make me a handsome 
present.” 

“ You rascal ! ” exclaimed Edna ; ^^how dare you impose 
on me in this way ? ” 

It humiliated and mortified her to think that the 
Captain was obliged to resort to such a messenger as this. 
But all sorts of men become sailors, and, although her 
pride revolted against the attempted imposition, the man 
had a letter written to her by Captain Horn, and she 
must have it. 

How much do you want ? ” said she. 

“ I don’t mind your calling me names,” said Banker. 
^^The Captain has made a grand stroke, you know, and 
everything about you is very fine, while I haven’t three 
francs to jingle together. I want one thousand dollars.” 

Five thousand francs ! ” exclaimed Edna. Absurd ! 
I have not that much money with me. I haven’t but a 
hundred francs, but that ought to satisfy you.” 


MR. banker’s speculation 


335 


Oh, no,” said Banker, not at all ; but don’t trouble 
yourself, you have not the money, and I have not the 
letter. The letter is in my lodgings. I was not fool 
enough to bring it with me, and have you call a police- 
man to arrest me, and take it for nothing. But if you 
will be here in two hours, with five thousand francs, and 
will promise me, upon your honor, that you will bring no 
one with you, and will not call the police as soon as you 
have the letter, I will be here with it.” 

“ Yes,” said Edna ; I promise.” 

She felt humbled and ashamed as she said it, but there 
was nothing else to do. In spite of her feelings, in spite 
of the cost, she must have the letter. 

Very good,” said Banker, and he departed. 

Banker had no lodgings in particular, but he went to a 
brasserie and procured writing materials. He had some 
letters in his pocket, old dirty letters which had been 
there for a long time, and one of them was from Kaminez, 
which had been written when they were both in California, 
and which Banker had kept because it contained an un- 
guarded reference to Baminez’s family in Spain, and 
Banker had thought that the information might some 
day be useful to him. He was a good penman, this 
Rackbird, he was clever in many ways, and he could 
imitate handwriting very well, and he set himself to work 
to address an envelope in the handwriting of Baminez. 

Eor some time he debated within himself as to what 
title he should use in addressing the lady. Should it be 
^^Senora” or ^‘Madame”? He inclined to the first 
appellation, but afterward thought that as the letter was 
to go to her in France, and that as most likely she under- 
stood French, and not Spanish, Baminez would probably 
address her in the former language, and therefore he 


336 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


addressed the envelope to Madame Raminez, by private 
hand.” As to the writing of a letter, he did not trouble 
himself at all. He simply folded up two sheets of paper 
and put them in the envelope, sealing it tightly. Now he 
was prepared, and after waiting until the proper time had 
arrived, he proceeded to the Gardens. 

Edna drove to her hotel in great agitation; she was 
angry, she was astounded, she was almost frightened. 
What could have happened to Captain Horn ? But two 
things encouraged and invigorated her ; he was alive, and 
he had written to her. That was everything, and she 
would banish all speculations and fears until she had 
read his letter, and until she had read it, she must keep 
the matter a secret, she must not let anybody imagine 
that she had heard anything, or was about to hear any- 
thing. By good fortune, she had five thousand francs in 
hand, and with these in her pocket-book she ordered her 
carriage half an hour before the time appointed. 

When Cheditafa heard the order, he was beset by a 
new consternation. He had been greatly troubled when 
his mistress had gone to the Gardens the first time, not 
because there was anything strange in that, for any lady 
might like to walk in such a beautiful place, but because 
she was alone, and with a Backbird in Paris, his lady 
ought never to be alone. She had come out safely, and 
he had breathed again, and now, now she wanted to go 
back ! He must tell her about that Backbird man. He had 
been thinking and thinking about telling her all the way 
back to the hotel, but he had feared to frighten her, and he 
had also been afraid to say that he had done what he had 
been ordered not to do, and had told some one that she 
was the Captain’s wife. But when he had reached the Gar- 
dens, he felt that he must say something, she must not 


MR. banker’s speculation 


337 


walk about alone. Accordingly, as Edna stepped out of 
the carriage, he began to speak to her, but, contrary to her 
usual custom, she paid no attention to him, simply tell- 
ing him to wait until she came back. 

Edna was obliged to wander about for some time before 
Banker appeared. 

“Now then, madame,” said he, “ don’t let us waste any 
time on this business. Have you the money with you ? ” 
“ I have,” said she ; “ but before I give it to you, I tell 
you that I do so under protest, and that this conduct of 
yours shall be reported. I consider it a most shameful 
thing, and I do not willingly pay you for what, no doubt, 
you have been sufficiently paid before.” 

“ That’s all very well,” said Banker ; “ I don’t mind a 
bit what you say to me. I don’t mind your being angry, 
in fact, I think you ought to be, in your place I would be 
angry, but if you will hand me the money — ” 

“Silence!” exclaimed Edna. “Not another word. 
Where is my letter ? ” 

“ Here it is,” said Banker, drawing the letter he had 
prepared from his pocket, and holding it in such a posi- 
tion that she could read the address. “You see, it is 
marked ^By Private Hand,’ and this is the private 
hand that has brought it to you. Now if you will count 
out the money, and will hand it to me, I will give you 
the letter. That is perfectly fair, isn’t it ? ” 

Edna leaned forward and looked at it. When she saw 
the superscription, she was astonished, and stepped back. 

“ What do you mean ? ” she exclaimed, and was about 
to angrily assert that she was not Madame Baminez, 
when Banker interrupted her. The sight of her pocket- 
book within two feet of his hand? threw him into a state 
of avaricious excitement. 


838 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


want you to give me that money, and take your 
letter ! he said savagely. I can’t stand here fooling.” 

Edna firmly gripped her pocket-book, and was about 
to scream, but there was no occasion for it. It had been 
simply impossible for Cheditafa to remain on the car- 
riage and let her go into the Gardens alone, and he had 
followed her, and behind some bushes he had witnessed 
the interview between her and Banker. He saw that 
the man was speaking roughly to her and threatening 
her. Instantly he rushed toward the two, and at the 
very top of his voice he yelled : 

“ Eackbird ! Eackbird ! Police ! ” 

Startled out of her senses, Edna stepped back, while 
Banker turned in fury toward the negro, and clapped his 
hand to his hip pocket. But Cheditafa’s cries had 
been heard, and down the broad avenue Banker saw two 
gendarmes running toward him. It would not do to 
wait here and meet them. 

“ You devil ! ” he cried, turning to Cheditafa, I’ll have 
your blood before you know it. And as for you, madame, 
you have broken your word ! I’ll be even with you ! ” and 
with this he dashed away. 

When the gendarmes reached the spot, they waited to 
ask no questions, but immediately pursued the flying 
Banker. Cheditafa was about to join in the chase, but 
Edna stopped him. 

Come to the carriage quick ! ” she said. I do not 
wish to stay here and talk to those policemen,” and, 
hurrying out of the Gardens, she drove away. 

The ex-Eackbird was a very hard man to catch. He 
had had so much experience in avoiding arrest that his 
skill in that direction was generally more than equal to 
the skill, in the opposite direction, of the ordinary detec- 


MENTAL TURMOILS 


339 


tive. A good many people and two other gendarmes 
joined in the chase after the man in the slouch hat, who 
had disappeared like a mouse or a hare around some 
shrubbery. It was not long before the pursuers were 
joined by a man in a white cap, who asked several ques- 
tions as to what they were running after, but he did not 
seem to take a sustained interest in the matter, and soon 
dropped out and went about his business. He did not 
take his slouched hat out of his pocket, for he thought 
it would be better to continue to wear his white cap for 
a time. 

When the police were obliged to give up the pursuit, 
they went back to the Gardens to talk to the lady and 
her servant, who, in such strange words, had called to 
them, but they were not there. 


CHAPTEE XLV 

MENTAL TURMOILS 

Edna went home, faint, trembling, and her head in a 
whirl. When she had heard Cheditaf a shout Eackbird,” 
the thought flashed into her mind that the Captain had 
been captured in the caves by some of these brigands who 
had not been destroyed, that this was the cause of his 
silence and that he had written to her for help. But 
she considered that the letter could not be meant for 
her, for under no circumstances would he have written 
to her as Madame Eaminez — a name of which she had 
never heard. This thought gave her a little comfort, but 
not much. As soon as she reached the hotel, she had 


340 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


a private talk with Cheditafa, and what the negro told 
her reassured her greatly. 

He did not make a very consecutive tale, but he omitted 
nothing. He told her of his meeting with the Rackbird, 
in front of the Bon Marche, and he related every word 
of their short conversation. He accounted for this Eack- 
bird’s existence by saying that he had not been at the 
camp when the water came down. In answer to a ques- 
tion from Edna, he said that the captain of the band was 
named Eaminez, and that he had known him by that name 
when he first saw him in Panama, though in the Eack- 
birds’ camp he was called nothing but “ The Captain.’’ 

And you only told him I was the Captain’s wife ? ” 
asked Edna; ^^you didn’t say I was Captain Horn’s 
wife ? ” 

Cheditafa tried his best to recollect, and he felt very 
sure that he had simply said she was the Captain’s wife. 

When his examination was finished, Cheditafa burst 
into an earnest appeal to his mistress not to go out 
again alone while she stayed in Paris. He said that 
this Eackbird was an awfully wicked man, and that 
he would kill all of them if he could. If the police 
caught him, he wanted to go and tell them what a bad 
man he was. He did not believe the police had caught 
him — this man could run like a wild hare, and police- 
men’s legs were so stiff. 

Edna assured him that she would take good care of 
herself, and after enjoining upon him not to say a word 
to any one of what had happened until she told him to, 
she sent him away. 

When Edna sat in council with herself upon the events 
of the morning, she was able to make some very fair con- 
jectures as to what had happened. The scoundrel she 


MENTAL TURMOILS 


341 


met had supposed her to be the wife of the Eackbirds’ 
captain. Having seen and recognized Cheditafa, it was 
natural enough for him to suppose that the negro had 
been brought to Paris by some of the band. All this 
seemed to be good reasoning, and she insisted to her- 
self over and over again that she was quite sure that 
Captain Horn had nothing to do with the letter which 
the man had been intending to give her. 

That assurance relieved her of one great trouble, but 
there were others left. Here was a member of a band 
of bloody ruffians, — and perhaps he had companions, — 
who had sworn vengeance against her and her faithful 
servant, and Cheditafa’s account of this man convinced her 
that he would be ready enough to carry out such vengeance. 
She scarcely believed that the police had caught him ; 
for she had seen how he could run, and he had the start 
of them. But even if they had, on what charge would 
he be held ? He ought to be confined or deported, but 
she did not wish to institute proceedings and give evi- 
dence. She did not know what might be asked, or 
said, or done, if she deposed that the man was a mem- 
ber of the Kackbird band, and brought Cheditafa as a 
witness. 

In all this trouble and perplexity she had no one to 
whom she could turn for advice and assistance. If she 
told Mrs. Cliff there was a Backbird in Paris, and that 
he had been making threats, she was sure that good lady 
would fly to her home in Plainton, Maine, where she 
would have iron bars put to all the windows, and double 
locks to her doors. 

In this great anxiety and terror — for although Edna 
was a brave woman, it terrified her to think that a wild 
and reckless villain, purple with rage, had shaken his fist 


342 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 

at her, and vowed he would kill Cheditafa — she could 
not think of a soul she could trust. 

Her brother, fortunately, was still in Belgium with his 
tutor. Fortunately, she thought, because if he knew of 
the affair he would be certain to plunge himself into 
danger ; and to whom could she apply for help without 
telling too much of her story ? 

Mrs. Cliff felt there was something in the air. “You 
seem queer,” said she ; “ you seem unusually excited and 
ready to laugh, it isn’t natural. And Cheditafa looks 
very ashy. I saw him just a moment ago, and it seems 
to me a dose of quinine would do him good. It may be 
that it is a sort of spring fever which is affecting people, 
and I am not sure but that something of the kind is the 
matter with me. At any rate, there is that feeling in my 
spine and bones which I always have when things are 
about to happen, or when there is malaria in the air.” 

Edna felt she must endeavor in all possible ways to 
prevent Mrs. Cliff from finding out that the curses of a 
wicked Rackbird were in the air, but she herself shud- 
dered when she thought that one or more of the cruel 
desperadoes, whose coming they had dreaded and waited 
for through that fearful night in the caves of Peru, were 
now to be dreaded and feared in the metropolis of France. 
If Edna shuddered at this, what would Mrs. Cliff do if 
she knew it ? 

As for the man with the white cap, who had walked 
slowly away about his business that morning when he 
grew tired of following the gendarmes, he was in a ter- 
rible state of mind. He silently raged and stormed and 
gnashed his teeth, and swore under his breath most 
awfully and continuously. Never had he known such 
cursed luck. One thousand dollars had been within two 


MENTAL TURMOILS 


343 


feet of his hand ! He knew that the lady had that sum 
in her pocket-book; he was sure she spoke truthfully; 
her very denunciation of him was a proof that she had 
not meant to deceive him. She hesitated a moment, but 
she would have given him the money. In a few seconds 
more he would have made her take the letter and give 
him the price she promised. But in those few seconds 
that Gehenna-born baboon had rushed in and spoiled 
everything. He was not enraged against the lady, but 
he was enraged against himself because he had not 
snatched the wallet before he ran, and he was infuriated 
to a degree which resembled intoxication when he thought 
of Cheditafa, and what he had done. The more he 
thought, the more convinced he became that the lady 
had not brought the negro with her to spy on him. If 
she had intended break her word, she would have 
brought a gendarme, not that ape. 

No; the beastly blackamoor had done the business on 
his own account. He had sneaked after the lady, and 
when he saw the gendarmes coming, he had thought it a 
good chance to pay off old scores. 

Pay off ! growled Banker, in a tone which made a 
shop-girl, who was walking in front of him carrying a 
band-box, jump so violently that she dropped the box. 

Pay off ! I’ll pay him ! ” and for a quarter of a mile he 
vowed that the present purpose of his life was the 
annihilation, the bloody annihilation, of that vile dog, 
whom he had trampled into the dirt of the Pacific coast, 
and who now, decked in fine clothes, had arisen in Paris 
to balk him of his fortune. 

It cut Banker very deeply when he thought how neat 
and simple had been the plan which had almost suc- 
ceeded. He had had a notion when he went away to pre- 


844 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


pare the letter for the Captain’s wife, that he would write 
in it a brief message which would mean nothing, but would 
make it necessary for her to see him again and to pay him 
again, but he had abandoned this ; he might counterfeit 
an address, but it was wiser not to try his hand upon a 
letter. The more he thought about Raminez, the less he 
desired to run the risk of meeting him, even in Paris. 
So he considered that if he made this one bold stroke 
and got five thousand francs, he would retire joyful and 
satisfied. But now! Well, he had a purpose — the 
annihilation of Cheditafa was at present his chief object 
in life. 

Banker seldom stayed in one place more than a day at 
a time, and before he went to a new lodging that night 
he threw away his slouch hat, which he had rammed 
into his pocket, for he would not w .t it again ; he had 
his hair cut short and his face neai -y shaved, and when 
he went to his room he trimmed his mustache in such a 
way that it greatly altered the cast of his countenance. 
He was not the penniless man he had represented him- 
self to be, who had not three francs to jingle together, 
for he was a billiard sharper and gambler of much 
ability, and when he appeared in the street the next 
morning, he was neatly dressed in a suit of second-hand 
clothes which were as quiet and respectable as any tour- 
ist of limited means could have desired. With Bae- 
deker’s Paris in his hand and with a long knife and a 
slung shot concealed in his clothes, he went forth to 
behold the wonders of the great city. 

He did not seem to care very much whether he saw 
the sights by day or by night ; for from early morning 
until ten or eleven o’clock in the evening, he was an 
energetic and interested wayfarer, confining his obser- 


A PROBLEM 


845 


vations, however, to certain quarters of the city which 
best suited his investigations. One night he gawkily 
strolled into the Black Cat, and one day he boldly 
entered the Hotel Grenade and made some inquiries of 
the porter regarding the price of accommodations, which, 
however, he declared were far above his means. That 
day he saw Mok in the courtyard, and once in passing he 
saw Edna come out and enter her carriage with an elderly 
lady, and they drove away, with Cheditafa on the box. 

Under his dark sack coat Banker wore a coarse blouse, 
and in the pocket of this under garment he had a white 
cap. He was a wonderful man to move quietly out of 
people’s way, and there were places in every neighbor- 
hood where, even in the daytime, he could cast olf the 
dark coat and the derby hat without attracting attention. 

It was satisfactory to think, as he briskly passed on, 
as one who has much to see in a little time, that the 
incident in the Tuileries Gardens had not yet caused the 
Captain’s wife to move her quarters. 


CHAPTEB XLVI 

A PROBLEM 

It was a little more than a week after Edna’s advent- 
ure in the Gardens and about ten o’clock in the morning, 
that something happened, something which proved that 
Mrs. Cliff was entirely right when she talked about the 
feeling in her bones. Edna received a letter from 
Captain Horn, which was dated at Marseilles. 

As she stood with the letter in her hand, every nerve 


346 THE ADVENT CTRES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


tingling, every vein throbbing, and every muscle as rigid 
as if it had been cast in metal, she could scarcely com- 
prehend that it had really come, that she really held it. 
After all this waiting and hoping and trusting, here was 
news from Captain Horn, news by his own hand, now, 
here, this minute ! 

Presently she regained possession of herself, and, still 
standing, she tore open the letter. It was a long one of 
several sheets, and she read it twice. The first time, 
standing where she had received it, she skimmed over 
page after page, running her eye from top to bottom 
until she had reached the end and the signature, but her 
quick glance found not what she looked for. Then the 
hand holding the letter dropped by her side. After all 
this waiting and hoping and trusting, to receive such a 
letter ! It might have been written by a good friend, a 
true and generous friend, but that was all. It was like 
the other letters he had written ; why should they not 
have been written to Mrs. Cliff ? 

Now she sat down to read it over again. She first 
looked at the envelope. Yes, it was really directed to 
Mrs. Philip Horn ’’ ; that was something, but it could not 
have been less. It had been brought by a messenger 
from Wraxton, Fuguet & Co., and had been delivered to 
Mrs. Cliff. That lady had told the messenger to take 
the letter to Edna’s salon, and she was now lying in her 
own chamber in a state of actual ague. Of course, she 
would not intrude upon Edna at such a moment as this ; 
she would wait until she was called. Whether her 
shivers were those of ecstasy, apprehension, or that 
nervous tremulousness which would come to any one who 
beholds an uprising from the grave, she did not know, 
but she surely felt as if there were a ghost in the air. 


A PROBLEM 


347 


The second reading of the letter was careful and exact. 
The Captain had written a long account of what had 
happened after he had left Valparaiso. His former 
letter, he wrote, had told her what had happened before 
that time. He condensed everything as much as possi- 
ble, but the letter was a very long one. It told wonder- 
ful things ; things which ought to have interested any one, 
but to Edna it was as dry as a meal of stale crusts. It 
supported her in her fidelity and allegiance, as such a 
meal would have supported a half-famished man, but 
that was all. Her soul could not live on such nutriment 
as this. 

He had not begun the letter My dear Wife,’’ as he 
had done before; it was not necessary now that his 
letters should be used as proof that she was his widow ! 
He had plunged instantly into the subject-matter, and 
had signed it after the most friendly fashion. He was 
not even coming to her! There was so much to do, 
which must be done immediately, and could not be done 
without him. He had telegraphed to his bankers, and 
one of the firm and several clerks were already with him. 
There were great difficulties yet before him, in which 
he needed the aid of financial counsellors and those who 
had influence with the authorities. His vessel, the 
“Arato,” had no papers; and he believed no cargo of 
such value had ever entered a port of France as that 
contained in the little green-hulled schooner which he 
had sailed into the harbor of Marseilles. This cargo 
must be landed openly; it must be shipped to various 
financial centres, and what was to be done required so 
much prudence, knowledge, and discretion that without 
the aid of the house of Wraxton, Euguet & Co., he be- 
lieved his difiiculties would have been greater than when 


848 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


he stood behind the wall of gold on the shore of the 
Patagonian island. 

He did not even ask her to come to him. In a day or 
so, he wrote, it might be necessary for him to go to 
Berlin, and whether or not he would travel to London 
from the German capital, he could not say, and for this 
reason he could not invite any of them to come down to 
him. 

Any of them ! ” repeated Edna. 

For more than an hour Mrs. Cliff lay in the state of 
palpitation which pervaded her whole organization, wait- 
ing for Edna to call her ; and at last she could wait no 
longer, and rushed into the salon where Edna sat alone, 
the letter in her hand. 

^^What does he say?’’ she cried. ^^Is he well? 
Where is he ? Did he get the gold ? ” 

Edna looked at her for a moment without answering. 
“ Yes,” she said presently ; he is well. He is in Mar- 
seilles. The gold — ” and for a moment she did not 
remember whether or not the Captain had it. 

“ Oh, do say something ! ” almost screamed Mrs. Cliff. 
“ What is it ? Shall I read the letter ? What does he 
say ? ” 

This recalled Edna to herself. No,” said she; 
will read it to you.” And she read it aloud, from begin- 
ning to end, carefully omitting those passages which 
Mrs. Cliff would have been sure to think should have been 
written in a manner in which they were not written. 

Well ! ” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, who, in alternate horror, 
pity, and rapture, had listened, pale and open-mouthed, 
to the letter; Captain Horn is consistent to the end! 
Whatever happens, he keeps away from us ! But that 
will not be for long, and — Oh, Edna — ” and as she 


A PROBLEM 


349 


spoke, she sprang from her chair and threw her arms 
around the neck of her companion, “ he’s got the gold ! ” 
And with this the poor lady sank insensible upon the 
floor. 

The gold ! ” exclaimed Edna, before she even stooped 
toward her fainting friend. ^^Of what importance is 
that wretched gold ! ” 

An hour afterward, Mrs. Cliff, having been restored to 
her usual condition, came again into Edna’s room, still 
pale and in a state of excitement. 

^^Kow, I suppose,” she exclaimed, ^^we can speak out 
plainly, and tell everybody everything. And I believe 
that will be to me a greater delight than any amount of 
money could possibly be.” 

Speak out!” cried Edna; ^^of course we cannot. 
We have no more right to speak out now than we ever 
had. Captain Horn insisted that we should not speak 
of these affairs until he came, and he has not yet come.” 

^^No, indeed!” said Mrs. Cliff. ^‘That seems to be 
the one thing he cannot do; he can do everything but 
come here. And are we to tell nobody that he has 
arrived in France ? Not even that much ? ” 

I shall tell Ralph,” replied Edna. I shall write to 
him to come here as soon as possible, but that is all 
until the Captain arrives, and we know everything that 
has been done, and is to be done. I don’t wish any one, 
except you and me and Ralph, even to know that I have 
heard from him.” 

^‘Not Cheditafa? Not the Professor? Nor any of 
your friends ? ” 

Of course not,” said Edna, a little impatiently. “ Don’t 
you see how embarrassing, how impossible it would be 
for me to tell them anything, if I did not tell them every- 


350 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

thing ? And what is there for me to tell them ? When 
we have seen Captain Horn, we shall all know who we 
are, and what we are, and then we can speak out to the 
world, and I am sure I shall be glad enough to do it/’ 

For my part,” said Mrs. Cliff, I think we all know 
who we are now; I don’t think anybody could tell us. 
And I think it would have been a great deal better — ” 
^^No, it wouldn’t,” exclaimed Edna; whatever you 
were going to say, I know it wouldn’t have been better. 
We could have done nothing but what we have done. 
We had no right to speak of Captain Horn’s affairs, and 
having accepted his conditions, with everything else that 
he has given us, we are bound to observe them, until he 
removes them ; so we shall not talk any more about that.” 

Poor Mrs. Cliff sighed. And so I must keep myself 
sealed and locked up, just the same as ever ? ” 

^^Yes,” replied Edna; ^^the same as ever, but it can- 
not be for long. As soon as the Captain has made his 
arrangements, we shall hear from him, and then every- 
thing will be told.” 

Made his arrangements!” repeated Mrs. Cliff ; that’s 
another thing I don’t like. It seems to me that if every- 
thing were just as it ought to be, there wouldn’t be so 
many arrangements to make, and he wouldn’t have to be 
travelling to Berlin, and to London, and nobody knows 
where else. I wonder if people are giving him any trouble 
about it ! We have had all sorts of troubles already, 
and now that the blessed end seems almost under our 
fingers, I hope we are not going to have more of it.” 

“Our troubles,” said Edna, “are nothing. It is Cap- 
tain Horn who should talk in that way. I don’t think 
that, since the day we left San Francisco, anybody could 
have supposed that we were in any sort of trouble.” 


A PROBLEM 


351 


I don’t mean outside circumstances,” said Mrs. Cliff ; 
^^but I suppose we have all got souls and consciences inside 
of us, and when they don’t know what to do, of course we 
are bound to be troubled, especially as they don’t know 
what to tell us, and we don’t know whether or not to 
mind them when they do speak. But you needn’t be afraid 
of me. I shall keep quiet, that is, as long as I can, I can’t 
promise forever.” 

Edna wrote to Ralph, telling him of the Captain’s let- 
ter, and urging him to come to Paris as soon as possible. 
It was scarcely necessary to speak to him of secrecy, for 
the boy was wise beyond his years. She did speak of it, 
however, but very circumspectly. She knew that her 
brother would never admit that there was any reason 
for the soul-rending anxiety with which she waited the 
Captain’s return. But whatever happened, or whatever 
he might think about what should happen, she wanted 
Ralph with her. She felt herself more truly alone than 
she had ever been in her life. 

During the two days which elapsed before Ralph 
reached Paris from Brussels, Edna had plenty of time to 
think, and she did not lose any of it. What Mrs. Cliff 
had said about people giving trouble, and about her con- 
science and all that, had touched her deeply. What 
Captain Horn had said about the difficulties he had en- 
countered on reaching Marseilles, and what he had said 
about the cargo of the “ Arato ” being probably more valu- 
able than any which had ever entered that port, seemed to 
put an entirely new face upon the relations between her and 
the owner of this vast wealth, if, indeed, he were able to 
establish that ownership. The more she thought of this 
point, the more contemptible appeared to her her own posi- 
tion j that is, the position she had assumed when she and 


352 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

the Captain stood together for the last time on the shore 
of Peru. If that gold truly belonged to him, if he had 
really succeeded in his great enterprise, what right had 
she to insist that he should accept her as a condition of 
his safe arrival in a civilized land with this matchless 
prize, with no other right than was given her by that very 
indefinite contract which had been entered into, as she 
felt herself forced to believe, only for her benefit in case 
he should not reach a civilized land alive. 

The disposition of this great wealth was evidently an 
anxiety and a burden, but in her heart she believed that 
the greatest of his anxieties was caused by his doubt in 
regard to the construction she might now place upon that 
vague, weird ceremony on the desert coast of Peru. 

The existence of such a doubt was the only thing that 
could explain the tone of his letters. He was a man of 
firmness and decision, and when he had reached a con- 
clusion, she knew he would state it frankly, without 
hesitation. But she also knew that he was a man of a 
kind and tender heart, and it was easy to understand 
how that disposition had influenced his action. By no 
word or phrase, except such as were necessary to legally 
protect her in the rights he wished to give her in case 
of his death, had he written anything to indicate that he 
or she were not both perfectly free to plan out the rest of 
their lives as best suited them. 

In a certain way, his kindness was cruelty; it threw 
too much upon her. She believed that if she were to 
assume that a marriage ceremony performed by a black 
man from the wilds of Africa, was as binding, at least, 
as a solemn engagement, he would accept her construc- 
tion and all its consequences. She also believed that if 
she declared that ceremony to be of no value whatever, 


A MAN CHIMPANZEE 


353 


now that the occasion had passed, he would agree with 
that conclusion. Everything depended upon her ; it was 
too hard for her. 

To exist in this state of uncertainty, was impossible for 
a woman of Edna’s organization. At any hour Captain 
Horn might appear. How should she receive him ? What 
had she to say to him ? 

Eor the rest of that day and the whole of the night, 
her mind never left this question : What am I to say to 
him ? She had replied to his letter by a telegram, and 
simply signed herself Edna. It was easy enough to 
telegraph anywhere, and even to write, without assuming 
any particular position in regard to him. But when he 
came, she must know what to do, and what to say. She 
longed for Ralph’s coming, but she knew he could not 
help her. He would say but one thing, that which he 
had always said. In fact, he would be no better than 
Mrs. Cliff, but he was her own flesh and blood, and she 
longed for him. • 


CHAPTER XLYII 

A MAN CHIMPANZEE 

Since the affair with the Rackbird, Cheditafa had 
done his duty more earnestly than ever before. He said 
nothing to Mok about the Rackbird. He had come to 
look upon his fellow-African as a very low creature, not 
much better than a chimpanzee. During Ralph’s absence, 
Mok had fallen into all sorts of irregular habits, going 
out without leave whenever he got a chance, and disport- 
ing himself generally in a very careless and unservant- 
like manner. 

2 ▲ 


354 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

On the evening that Ralph was expected from Brus- 
sels, Mok was missing. Cheditafa could not find him 
in any of the places where he ought to have been, so he 
must be out of doors somewhere, and Cheditafa went to 
look for him. 

This was the first time that Cheditafa had gone into 
the streets, alone at night, since the Rackbird incident in 
the Tuileries Gardens. As he was the custodian of Mok, 
and responsible for him, he did not wish to lose sight of 
him, especially on this evening. 

It so happened that when Cheditafa went out of the 
hotel, his appearance was noticed by Mr. Banker. There 
was nothing remarkable about this, for the evening was 
the time when the ex-Rackbird gave the most attention 
to the people who came out of the hotel. When he saw 
Cheditafa, his soul warmed within him. Here was the 
reward of patience and steadfastness, — everything comes 
to those who wait. 

A half hour before. Banker had seen Mok leave the 
hotel, and make his way toward the Black Cat. He did 
not molest the rapid-walking negro, he would not have 
disturbed him for anything; but his watchfulness became 
so eager and intense that he almost, but not quite, exposed 
himself to the suspicion of a passing gendarme. He now 
expected Cheditafa, for the reason that the manner of 
the younger negro indicated that he was playing truant. 
It was likely that the elder man would go after him, and 
this was exactly what happened. 

Banker allowed the old African to go his way without 
molestation, for the brightly lighted neighborhood of the 
hotel was not adapted to his projected performance; but 
he followed him warily, and, when they reached a quiet 
street. Banker quickened his pace, passed Cheditafa, and 


A MAN CHIMPANZEE 


355 


suddenly turning confronted him. Then, without a word 
having been said, there flashed upon the mind of the 
African everything that had happened, not only in 
the Tuileries Gardens, but in the Eackbirds’ camp, and 
at the same time a prophetic feeling of what was about 
to happen. 

By a few quick pulls and jerks. Banker had so far 
removed his disguise that Cheditafa knew him the in- 
stant that his eyes fell upon him. His knees trembled, 
his eyeballs rolled so that nothing but their whites could 
be seen, and he gave himself up to death. Then spoke 
out the terrible Backbird. 

What he said need not be recorded here, but every word 
of superheated vengeance, with which he wished to tor- 
ture the soul of his victim before striking him to the 
earth, went straight to the soul of Cheditafa, as if it had 
been a white-hot iron. His chin fell upon his breast ; he 
had but one hope, and that was, that he would be killed 
quickly. He had seen people killed in the horrible old 
camp, and the man before him he believed to be the 
worst Backbird of them all. 

When Banker had finished stabbing and torturing the 
soul of the African, he drew a knife from under his coat, 
and down fell Cheditafa on his knees. 

The evening was rainy and dark, and the little street 
was nearly deserted. Banker, who could look behind and 
before him without making much show of turning his 
head, had made himself sure of this before he stepped in 
front of Cheditafa; but while he had been pouring out his 
torrent of heart-shrivelling vituperation, he had ceased to 
look before and behind him, and had not noticed a man 
coming down the street in the opposite direction to that 
in which they had been gping. 


356 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

This was Mok, who was much less of a fool than 
Oheditafa took him for. He had calculated that he would 
have time to go to the Black Cat and drink two glasses 
of beer before Ralph was likely to appear, and he also 
made up his mind that two glasses were as much as he 
could dispose of without exciting the suspicions of the 
young man. Therefore, he had attended to the business 
that had taken him out of doors on that rainy night, 
and was returning to the hotel with a lofty consciousness 
of having done wrong in a very wise and satisfactory 
manner. 

He wore india-rubber overshoes, because the pavements 
were wet, and also because this sort of foot-gear suited 
him better than hard, unyielding, sole leather. Had he 
had his own way, he would have gone barefooted, but 
that would have created comment in the streets of Paris 
— he had sense enough to know that. 

When he first perceived, by the dim light of a street 
lamp, two persons standing together on his side of the 
street, his conscience, without any reason for it, suggested 
that he cross over and pass by without attracting atten- 
tion. To wrong-doers, attention is generally unwelcome. 

Mok not only trod with the softness and swiftness of a 
panther, but he had eyes like that animal, and if there 
were any light at all, those eyes could make good use of it. 
As he neared the two men, he saw that one was scolding 
the other. Then he saw the other man drop down on 
his knees. Then, being still nearer, he perceived that 
the man on his knees was Oheditafa. Then he saw the 
man in front of him draw a knife from under his coat. 

As a rule, Mok was a coward, but two glasses of beer 
were enough to turn his nature in precisely the opposite 
direction. A glass less would have left him timorous, a 


A MAN CHIMPANZEE 


357 


glass more would have made him foolhardy and silly. He 
saw that somebody was about to stab his old friend. In 
five long, noiseless steps, or leaps, he was behind that 
somebody, and had seized the arm which held the knife. 

With a movement as quick as the stroke of a rattle- 
snake, Banker turned upon the man who had clutched 
his arm, and when he saw that it was Mok, his fury grew 
tornado-like. With a great oath, and a powerful plunge 
backward, he endeavored to free his arm from the grasp 
of the negro, but he did not do it ; those black fingers 
were fastened around his wrist as though they had been 
fetters forged to fit him ; and in the desperate struggle, 
the knife was dropped. 

In a hand-to-hand combat with a chimpanzee, a strong 
man would have but little chance of success, and Mok, 
under the influence of two glasses of beer, was a man 
chimpanzee. When Banker swore, and when he turned 
so that the light of the street lamp fell upon his face, 
Mok recognized him. He knew him for a Kackbird of 
the Eackbirds; as the cruel, black-eyed savage who had 
beaten him, trodden upon him, and almost crushed the 
soul out of him, in that far-away camp by the sea. How 
this man should have suddenly appeared in Paris, why he 
came there, and what he was going to do ; whether he was 
alone, or with his band concealed in the neighboring door- 
ways, Mok did not trouble his mind to consider. He held, 
in his brazen grip, a creature whom he considered worse 
than the most devilish of African devils, a villain who 
had been going to kill Cheditafa. 

Every nerve under his black skin, every muscle that 
covered his bones, and the two glasses of beer sung out 
to him that the Eackbird could not get away from him, 
and that the great hour of vengeance had arrived. 


358 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


Banker had a pistol, but he had no chance to draw it. 
The arms of the wild man were around him; his feet 
slipped from under him, and instantly the two were roll- 
ing on the wet pavements. But only for an instant. 
Banker was quick, and light, and strong to such a degree 
that no man but a man chimpanzee could have over- 
powered him in a struggle like that. Both were on their 
feet almost as quickly as they went down, but do what 
he would. Banker could not get out his pistol. 

Those long black arms, one of them now bared to the 
shoulder, were about him ever. He pulled, and tugged, 
and swerved. He half bound him one instant, half lifted 
the next, but never could loosen the grasp of that fierce 
creature, whose whole body seemed as tough and elastic 
as the shoes he wore. 

Together they fell; together they rolled in the dirty 
slime; together they rose as if they had been shot up by 
a spring, and together they went down again, rolling over 
each other, pulling, tearing, striking, gasping, and panting. 

Cheditafa had gone. The moment of Mok’s appearance, 
he had risen and fled. There were now people in the 
street. Some had come out of their houses, hearing the 
noise of the struggle ; for Banker wore heavy shoes. And 
there were one or two pedestrians who had stopped, un- 
willing to pass men who were engaged in such a desperate 
conflict. 

No one interfered; it would have seemed as prudent 
to step between two tigers. Such a bounding, whirling, 
tumbling, rolling, falling, and rising contest had never 
been seen in that street, except between cats. It seemed 
that the creatures would dash themselves through the win- 
dows of the houses. 

It was not long before Cheditafa came back with two 


A MAN CHIMPANZEE 


359 


policemen, all running, and then the men who lay in the 
street, spinning about as if moving on pivots, were seized 
and pulled apart. At first, the officers of the law appeared 
at a loss to know what had happened, and who had been 
attacked. What was this black creature from the Jardin 
des Plantes ? But Banker’s coat had been torn from his 
back, and his pistol stood out in bold relief in his belt, 
and Cheditafa pointed to the breathless bandit, and 
screamed: ^^Bad man! Bad man! Try to kill me! 
This good Mok save my life!” 

Two more policemen now came hurrying up, for other 
people had given the alarm, and it was not considered 
necessary to debate the question as to who was the aggres- 
sor in this desperate affair. Cheditafa, Mok, and Banker 
were all taken to the police station. 

As Cheditafa was known to be in the service of the 
American lady at the Hotel Grenade, the portier of that 
establishment was sent for, and having given his testi- 
mony to the good character of the two negroes, they were 
released upon his becoming surety for their appearance 
when wanted. 

As for Banker, there was no one to go security ; he was 
committed for trial. 

When Balph went to his room that night, he immedi- 
ately rang for his valet. Mok, who had reached the hotel 
from the police-station but a few minutes before, answered 
the summons. When Balph turned about and beheld the 
black man, his hair plastered with mud, his face plastered 
with mud, and what clothes he had on muddy, torn, and 
awry, with one foot wearing a great overshoe and the 
other bare, with both black arms entirely denuded of 
sleeves, with eyes staring from his head, and his whole 
form quivering and shaking, the young man started as if 


860 THE ADVENTtJRES OF CAFTAIN HORN 


some afrite of the Arabian Nights had come at this dark 
hour to answer his call. 

To the eager questions which poured upon him when 
his identity became apparent, Mok could make no intel- 
ligible answer; he did not possess English enough for 
that. But Cheditafa was quickly summoned, and he 
explained everything. He explained it once, twice, three 
times, and then he and Mok were sent away and told to 
go to bed, and under no circumstances to mention to 
their mistress what had happened, or to anybody who 
might mention it to her; and this Cheditafa solemnly 
promised for both. 

The clock struck one as Ealph still sat in his chair won- 
dering what all this meant, and what might be expected 
to happen next. To hear that a real, live Eackbird was 
in Paris, that this outlaw had threatened his sister, that 
the police had been watching for him, that he had sworn 
to kill Cheditafa, and that night had tried to do it, amazed 
him beyond measure. 

At last he gave up trying to conjecture what it meant, 
it was foolish to waste his thoughts in that way ; to-mor- 
row he must find out. He could understand very well 
why his sister had kept him in ignorance of the affair in 
the Garden; she had feared danger to him. She knew 
that he would be after that scoundrel more hotly than 
any policeman, but what the poor girl must have suffered ! 
It was terrible to think of. 

The first thing he would do would be to take very good 
care that she heard nothing of the attack on Cheditafa. 
He would go to the police office early the next morning 
and look into this matter. He did not think that it would 
be necessary for Edna to know anything about it, except 
that the Eackbird had been arrested and she need no 
longer fear him. 


A MAN CHIMPANZEE 


361 


Wlien Ralph reached the police station the next day, 
he found there the portier of the hotel, together with 
Cheditafa and Mok. 

After Banker’s examination, to which he gave no assist- 
ance by admissions of any sort, he was remanded for trial, 
and he was held merely for his affair with the negroes, no 
charge having been made against him for his attempt to 
obtain money from their mistress, or his threats in her 
direction. As the crime for which he had been arrested 
gave reason enough for condign punishment of the des- 
perado, Ralph saw, and made Cheditafa see, it would be 
unnecessary as well as unpleasant to drag Edna into the 
affair. 

That afternoon Mr. Banker, who had recovered his 
breath and had collected his ideas, sent for the police 
magistrate and made a confession. He said he had been 
a member of a band of outlaws, but having grown dis- 
gusted with their evil deeds, had left them. He had 
become very poor, and having heard that the leader of 
the band had made a fortune by a successful piece of 
rascality, and had married a fine lady, and was then in 
Paris, he had come to this city to meet him and to 
demand in the name of their old comradeship some 
assistance in his need. He had found his Captain’s wife. 
She had basely deceived him after having promised to 
help him, and he had been insulted and vilely treated by 
that old negro, who was once a slave in the Rackbirds’ 
camp in Peru, and who had been brought here with the 
other negro by the Captain. He also freely admitted that 
he had intended to punish the black fellow, though he 
had no idea whatever of killing him. If he had had such 
an idea, it would have been easy enough for him to put 
his knife into him when he met him in that quiet street ; 


^02 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


but be bad not done so, but bad contented bimself witb 
telling bim wbat be thought of him, and with afterwards 
frightening bim with his knife. And then the other fel- 
low had come up, and there had been a fight. Therefore, 
although he admitted that his case was a great misde- 
meanor, and that he had been very disorderly, he boldly 
asserted that he had contemplated no murder. But what 
he wished particularly to say to the magistrate was that 
the Captain of the Backbirds would probably soon arrive 
in Paris, and that he ought to be arrested. No end of 
imnortant results might come from such an arrest. He 
was quite sure that the great stroke of fortune which had 
enabled the Captain’s family to live in Paris in such fine 
style, ought to be investigated. The Captain had never 
made any money by simple and straightforward methods 
of business. 

All this voluntary testimony was carefully taken 
down, and, although the magistrate did not consider it 
necessary to believe any of it, the arrival of Captain 
Horn was thenceforth awaited with interest by the 
police of Paris. 

It was not very plain how Miss Markham of the Hotel 
Grenade, who was well known as a friend of a member 
of the American Legation, could be the wife of a South 
American bandit ; but then there might be reasons why 
she wished to retain her maiden name for the present, 
and she might not know her husband as a bandit. 


ENTER CARTAIN HORN 


363 


CHAPTER XLVIII 

ENTER CAPTAIN HORN 

It was less than a week after the tumbling match in 
the street between Banker and Mok, and about eleven 
o’clock in the morning, when a brief note, written on a 
slip of paper and accompanied by a card, was brought to 
Edna from Mrs. Cliff. On the card was written the 
name of Captain Philip Horn, and the note read thus : 

‘‘He is here; he sent his card to me; of course, you 
will see him. Oh, Edna! Don’t do anything foolish 
when you see him ! Don’t go and throw away everything 
worth living for in this world ! Heaven help you ! ” 

This note was hurriedly written, but Edna read it at 
a glance. 

“Bring the gentleman here,” she said to the man. 

Now, with all her heart, Edna blessed herself, and 
thanked herself, that, at last, she had been strong 
enough and brave enough to determine what she ought 
to do when she met the Captain. That very morning, 
lying awake in her bed, she had determined that she 
would meet him in the same spirit as that in which he 
had written to her. She would be very strong, she would 
not assume anything; she would not accept the respon- 
sibility of deciding the situation, which responsibility 
she believed he thought it right she should assume ; she 
would not have it. If he appeared before her as the 
Captain Horn of his letters, he should go away as the 
man who had written those letters. If he had come 
here on business, she would show him that she was a 
woman of business. 

As she stood waiting, with her eyes upon his card, 


364 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


which lay upon the table, and Mrs. Cliff’s note crum- 
pled up in one hand, she saw the Captain for some min- 
utes before it was possible for him to reach her. She 
saw him on board the ^‘Castor,” a tall, broad-shouldered 
sailor, with his hands in the pocket of his pea-jacket. 
She saw him by the caves in Peru, his flannel shirt and 
his belted trousers faded by the sun and water, torn and 
worn, and stained by the soil on which they so often sat, 
with his long hair and beard, and the battered felt hat, 
which was the last thing she saw as his boat faded away 
in the distance, when she stood watching it from the 
sandy beach. She saw him as she had imagined him 
after she had received his letter, toiling barefooted along 
the sands, carrying heavy loads upon his shoulders, 
living alone night and day, on a dreary, desert coast, 
weary, perhaps haggard, but still indomitable. She saw 
him in storm, in shipwreck, in battle, and, as she looked 
upon him thus with the eyes of her brain, there were 
footsteps outside her door. 

As Captain Horn came through the long corridors and 
up the stairs, following the attendant, he saw the woman 
he was about to meet, and saw her before he met her. 
He saw her only in one aspect, that of a tall, too thin, 
young woman, clad in a dark blue flannel suit, un- 
shapely, streaked, and stained, her hair bound tightly 
round her head and covered by an old straw hat with a 
faded ribbon. This picture of her, as he had left her 
standing on the beach, at the close of that afternoon 
when his little boat pulled out into the Pacific, was as 
clear and distinct as when he had last seen it. 

A door was opened before him, and he entered Edna’s 
salon. For a moment he stopped in the doorway; he did 
not see the woman he had come to meet. He saw before 


ENTER CAPTAIN HORN 


365 


him a lady handsomely and richly dressed in a Parisian 
morning costume; a lady with waving masses of dark 
hair, above a lovely face; a lady with a beautiful white 
hand, which was half raised as he appeared in the door- 
way. 

She stood with her hand half raised. She had never 
seen the man before her. He was a tall, imposing gen- 
tleman, in a dark suit, over which he wore a light- 
colored overcoat. One hand was gloved, and in the 
other he held a hat. His slightly curling brown beard 
and hair were trimmed after the fashion of the day, and 
his face, though darkened by the sun, showed no trace 
of toil, or storm, or anxious danger. He was a tall, 
broad-shouldered gentleman, with an air of courtesy, an 
air of dignity, an air of forbearance, which were as 
utterly unknown to her as everything else about him, 
except his eyes, — those were the same eyes she had seen 
on board the “ Castor ” and on the desert sands. 

Had it not been for the dark eyes which looked so 
steadfastly at him. Captain Horn would have thought that 
he had been shown into the wrong room ; but he now 
knew there was no mistake, and he entered. Edna raised 
her hand and advanced to meet him. 

He shook hands with her exactly as he had written to 
her, and she shook hands with him just as she had tele- 
graphed to him. Much of her natural color had left 
her face. As he had never seen this natural color, 
under the sun-brown of the Pacific voyage, he did not 
miss it. 

Instantly she began to speak. How glad she was that 
she had prepared herself to speak as she would have 
spoken to any other good friend! So she expressed her 
joy at seeing him again, well and successful after all 


366 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

these months of peril, toil, and anxiety, and they sat 
down near each other. 

He looked at her steadfastly, and asked her many 
things about Kalph, Mrs. Cliff, and the negroes, and 
what had happened since he left San Francisco. He 
listened with a questioning intentness as she spoke. She 
spoke rapidly and concisely, as she answered his ques- 
tions, and asked him about himself. She said little 
about the gold; one might have supposed that he had 
arrived at Marseilles with a cargo of coffee. At the same 
time, there seemed to be, on Edna’s part, a desire to 
lengthen out her recital of unimportant matters. She 
now saw that the Captain knew she did not care to talk 
of these things. She knew that he was waiting for an 
opportunity to turn the conversation into another chan- 
nel, waiting with an earnestness that was growing more 
and more apparent, and, as she perceived this, and as 
she steadily talked to him, she assured herself, with all 
the vehemence of which her nature was capable, that she 
and this man were two people connected by business 
interests, and that she was ready to discuss that business 
in a business way as soon as he could speak; but still 
she did not yet give him the chance to speak. 

The Captain sat there, with his blue eyes fixed upon 
her, and, as she looked at him, she knew him to be the 
personification of honor and magnanimity, waiting until 
he could see that she was ready for him to speak, ready 
to listen if she should speak, ready to meet her on any 
ground ; a gentleman, she thought, above all the gentle- 
men in the world. And still she went on talking about 
Mrs. Cliff and Ealph. 

Suddenly the Captain rose; whether or not he inter- 
rupted her in the middle of a sentence, he did not know, 


ENTER CAPTAIN HORN 


367 


nor did she know. He put his hat upon a table and 
came toward her. He stood in front of her and looked 
down at her. She looked up at him, but he did not 
immediately speak. She could not help standing silently 
and looking up at him when he stood and looked down 
upon her in that way. Then he spoke. 

‘‘Are you my wife?” said he. 

“ By all that is good and blessed in heaven or earth, I 
am,” she answered. 

Standing there, and looking up into his eyes, there 
was no other answer for her to make. 

Seldom has a poor, worn, tired, agitated woman kept, 
what was to her, a longer or more anxious watch upon 
a closed door than Mrs. Cliff kept that day; if even 
Ralph had appeared, she would have decoyed him into 
her own room, and locked him up there if necessary. 

In about an hour after Mrs. Cliff began her watch, a 
tall man walked rapidly out of the salon and went down 
the stairs, and then a woman came running across the 
hall and into Mrs. Cliff’s room, closing the door behind 
her. Mrs. Cliff scarcely recognized this woman. She 
had Edna’s hair and face, but there was a glow and a 
glory on her countenance such as Mrs. Cliff had never 
seen, or expected to see, until in the hereafter she should 
see it on the face of an angel. 

“He has loved me,” said Edna, with her arms around 
her old friend’s neck, “ever since we had been a week 
on the ‘Castor.’ ” 

Mrs. Cliff shivered and quivered with joy. She could 
not say anything, but over and over again she kissed the 
burning cheeks of her friend. At last they stood apart, 
and, when Mrs, Cliff was calm enough to speak, she 
said: 


368 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

^^Ever since we were on the ‘Castor M Well, Edna, 
you must admit that Captain Horn is uncommonly good 
at keeping things to himself.” 

“Yes,” said the other, “and he always kept it to him- 
self; he never let it go away from him. He had in- 
tended to speak to me, but he wanted to wait until I 
knew him better, and until we were in a position where 
he wouldn’t seem to be taking advantage of me by speak- 
ing. And when you proposed that marriage by Chedi- 
tafa, he was very much troubled and annoyed; it was 
something so rough and jarring, and so discordant with 
what he had hoped, that at first he could not bear to 
think of it; but he afterward saw the sense of your 
reasoning, and agreed simply because it would be to my 
advantage in case he should lose his life in his undertak- 
ing. And we will be married to-morrow at the Embassy. ” 

“To-morrow! ” cried Mrs. Cliff. “So soon! ” 

“Yes,” replied Edna. “The Captain has to go away, 
and I am going with him.” 

“That is all right,” said Mrs. Cliff; “of course I was 
a little surprised at first. But how about the gold? 
How much was there of it? And what is he going to do 
with it? ” 

“He scarcely mentioned the gold,” replied Edna; “we 
had more precious things to talk about. When he sees 
us all together, you and I and Kalph, he will tell us 
what he has done, and what he is going to do, and — ” 

“And we can say what we please?” cried Mrs. Cliff. 

“Yes,” said Edna ; “to whomever we please.” 

“Thank the Lord!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. “That is 
almost as good as being married.” 

On his arrival in Paris the night before. Captain Horn 
had taken lodgings at a hotel not far from the Hotel 


ENTER CAPTAIN HORN 


369 


Grenade, and the first thing he did the next morning 
was to visit Edna. He had supposed, of course, that 
she was at the same hotel in which Mrs. Cliff resided, 
which address he had got from Wraxton, in Marseilles, 
and he had expected to see the elderly lady first, and to 
get some idea of how matters stood, before meeting Edna. 
He was in Paris alone. He had left Shirley and Burke, 
with the negroes, in Marseilles. He had wished to do 
nothing, to make no arrangements for any one, until he 
had seen Edna, and had found out what his future life 
was to be. 

How, as he walked back to his hotel, that future life 
lay before him radiant and resplendent. No avenue in 
Paris, or in any part of the world, blazing with the 
lights of some grand festival, ever shone with such gloy^- 
ing splendor as the future life of Captain Horn now shone 
and sparkled before him, as he walked and walked, on and 
on, and crossed the river into the Latin quarter, before he 
perceived that his hotel was a mile or more behind him. 

From the moment that the ^^Arato’’ had left the 
Straits of Magellan, and Captain Horn had had reason 
to believe that he had left his dangers behind him, the 
prow of his vessel had been set toward the Strait of 
Gibraltar, and every thought of his heart toward Edna. 
Burke and Shirley both noticed a change in him. After 
he left the Backbirds’ cove, until he had sailed into the 
South Atlantic, his manner had been quiet, alert, gen- 
erally anxious, and sometimes stern; but now, day by 
day, he appeared to be growing into a different man. 
He was not nervous, nor apparently impatient; but it 
was easy to see that within him there burned a steady 
purpose, to get on as fast as the wind would blow them 
northward. 


370 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Day by day, as he walked the deck of his little vessel, 
one might have thought him undergoing a transforma- 
tion, from the skipper of a schooner into the master of 
a great ship; into the captain of a swift Atlantic liner; 
into the commander of a man-of-war; into the com- 
modore on board a line-of-battle ship. It was not an 
air of pride or assumed superiority that he wore ; it was 
nothing assumed; it was nothing of which he was not 
entirely aware. It was the gradual growth within him, 
as health grows into a man recovering from a sickness, 
of the consciousness of power. The source of that con- 
sciousness lay beneath him, as he trod the deck of the 
‘‘ Arato.” 

This consciousness, involuntary, and impossible to 
resist, had nothing definite about it. It had nothing 
which could wholly satisfy the soul of this man, who 
kept his eyes and his thoughts so steadfastly toward the 
north. He knew that there were but few things in the 
world that his power could not give him, but there was 
one thing upon which it might have no influence what- 
ever, and that one thing was far more to him than all 
other things in this world. 

Sometimes, as he sat smoking beneath the stars, he 
tried to picture to himself the person who might be 
waiting and watching for him in Paris, and to try to 
look upon her as she must really be; for, after her life 
in San Francisco and Paris, she could not remain the 
woman she had been at the caves on the coast of Peru. 
But, do what he would, he could make no transformation 
in the picture which was imprinted on the retina of his 
soul. There, he saw a woman still young, tall, and too 
thin; in a suit of blue flannel, faded and worn; with 
her hair bound tightly around her head, and covered by 


A GOLDEN AFTERNOON 


371 


a straw hat with a faded ribbon, — but it was toward 
this figure that he was sailing, sailing, sailing, as fast 
as the winds of heaven would blow his vessel onward. 


CHAPTER XLIX 

A GOLDEN AFTERNOON 

When Ralph met Captain Horn that afternoon, there 
rose within him a sudden, involuntary appreciation of 
the Captain’s worthiness to possess a ship-load of gold 
and his sister Edna. Before that meeting there had 
been doubts in the boy’s mind in regard to this worthi- 
ness. He believed that he had thoroughly weighed and 
judged the character and capacities of the Captain of the 
Castor,” and he had said to himself in his moments of 
reflection, that, although Captain Horn was a good man, 
and a brave man, and an able man in many ways, there 
were other men in the world who were better fitted for 
the glorious double position into which this fortunate 
mariner had fallen. 

But now, as Ralph sat and gazed upon his sister’s 
lover and heard him talk, and as he turned from him to 
Edna’s glowing eyes, he acknowledged, without knowing 
it, the transforming power of those two great alchemists, 
— gold and love, — and from the bottom of his heart he 
approved the match. 

Upon Mrs. Cliff the first sight of Captain Horn had 
been a little startling, and had she not hastened to assure 
lierself that the compact with Edna was a thing fixed 
and settled, she might have been possessed with the fear 


872 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


that perhaps this gentleman might have views for his 
fnture life very different from those upon which she had 
set her heart. But even if she had not known of the 
compact of the morning, all danger of that fear would 
have passed in the moment that the Captain took her by 
the hand. 

To find his three companions of the wreck and desert 
in such high state and flourishing condition, so cheered 
and uplifted the soul of the Captain that he could talk 
of nothing else; and now he called for Cheditafa and 
Mok, — those two good fellows whose faithfulness he 
should never forget; but when they entered, bending 
low, with eyes upturned toward the lofty presence to 
which they had been summoned, the Captain looked in- 
quiringly at Edna. As he came in that afternoon, he 
had seen both the negroes in the courtyard, and, in the 
passing thought he had given to them, had supposed 
them to be attendants of some foreign potentate from 
Barbary or Morocco. Cheditafa and Mok ! The ragged, 
half-clad negroes of the sea-beach — a parson-butler of 
sublimated respectability, a liveried lackey of rainbow 
and gold ! It required minutes to harmonize these pre- 
sentments in the mind of Captain Horn. 

When the audience of the two Africans — for such it 
seemed to be — had lasted long enough, Edna was think- 
ing of dismissing them, when it became plain to her that 
there was something which Cheditafa wished to say or 
do. She looked at him inquiringly, and he came for- 
ward. 

For a long time, the mind of the good African had 
been exercised upon the subject of the great deed he had 
done just before the Captain had sailed away from the 
Peruvian coast ; and in San Francisco and Paris he had 


A GOLDEN AFTERNOON 


373 


asked many questions quietly, and apparently without 
purpose, concerning the marriage ceremonies of America 
and other civilized countries. He had not learned enough 
to enable him, upon an emergency, to personate an ortho- 
dox clergyman ; but he had found out this and that, — 
little things perhaps, but things which made a great 
impression upon him, — which had convinced him that, 
in the ceremony he had performed, there had been much 
remissness; how much, he did not clearly know; but 
about one thing that had been wanting, he had no doubts. 

Advancing toward Edna and the Captain, who sat 
near each other, Cheditafa took from his pocket a large 
gold ring, which he had purchased with his savings. 

There was a thing we didn^t do,’’ he said, glancing 
from one to the other. It was the ring part — nobody 
thinked of that. Will Captain take it now, and put it 
on the lady ? ” 

Edna and the Captain looked at each other. Eor a 
moment, no one spoke. Then Edna said, “Take it.” 
The Captain rose and took the ring from the hand of 
Cheditafa, and Edna stood beside him. Then he took 
her hand, and reverently placed the ring upon her 
fourth finger. Fortunately, it fitted. It had not been 
without avail that Cheditafa had so often scanned with 
a measuring eye the rings upon the hands of his mis- 
tress. 

A light of pleasure shone in the eyes of the old negro. 
Now he had done his full duty ; now all things had been 
made right. As he had seen the priests stand in the 
churches of Paris, he now stood for a moment with his 
hands outspread. “Very good,” he said; “that will do.” 
And then, followed by Mok, he bowed himself out of the 


room. 


374 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


For some moments, there was silence in the salon. 
Nobody thought of laughing, or even smiling. In the 
eyes of Mrs. Cliff there were a few tears. She was the 
first to speak. ‘‘He is a good man,’’ said she; “and 
he now believes that he has done everything that ought 
to be done ; but you will be married to-morrow, all the 
same, of course.” 

“ Yes,” said Edna ; “ but it will be with this ring.” 

“ Yes,” said the Captain, “ with that ring ; you must 
always wear it.” 

“ And now,” said Mrs. Cliff, when they had all reseated 
themselves, “you must really tell us your story. Cap- 
tain ; you know I have heard nothing yet.” 

And so he told his story ; much that Edna had heard 
before, a great deal she had not heard. About the treas- 
ure, almost everything he said was new to her. Mrs. Cliff 
was very eager on this point, she wanted every detail. 

“How about the ownership of it ?” she said. “After 
all, that is the great point. What do people here think 
of your right to use that gold as your own ? ” 

The Captain smiled. “That is not an easy question 
to answer, but I think we shall settle it very satisfac- 
torily. Of course, the first thing to do is to get it safely 
entered and stored away in the great money centres over 
here. A good portion of it, in fact, is to be shipped to 
Philadelphia to be coined. Of course, all that business 
is in the hands of my bankers. The fact that I origi- 
nally sailed from California was a great help to us. To 
ascertain my legal rights in the case, was the main object 
of my visit to London. There Wraxton and I put the 
matter before three leading lawyers in that line of busi- 
ness, and although their opinions differed somewhat, 
and although we have not yet come to a final conclusion as 


A GOLDEN AFTERNOON 


375 


to what should be done, the matter is pretty well straight- 
ened out as far as we are concerned. Of course, the affair 
is greatly simplified by the fact that there is no one on 
the other side to be a claimant of the treasure, but we 
consider it as if there were a claimant, or two of them, 
in fact. These can be no other than the present Govern- 
ment of Peru, and that portion of the population of the 
country which is native to the soil, and the latter, if 
our suppositions are correct, are the only real heirs to 
the treasure which I discovered. But what are the laws 
of Peru in regard to treasure trove, or what may be the 
disposition of the Government toward the native popula- 
tion and their rights, of course we cannot find out now. 
That will take time. But of one thing we are certain ; 
I am entitled to a fair remuneration for the discovery of 
this treasure just the same as if I claimed salvage for 
having brought a wrecked steamer into port; on this 
point the lawyers are all agreed. I have, therefore, made 
my claim, and shall stand by it with enough legal force 
behind me to support me in any emergency. 

But it is not believed that either the Peruvian Govern- 
ment or the natives acting as a body, if it shall be pos- 
sible for them to act in that way, will give us any trouble. 
We have the matter entirely in our own hands. They 
do not know of the existence of this treasure, or that 
they have any rights to it until we inform them of the 
fact, and without our assistance it will be almost impos- 
sible for them to claim anything or prove anything. 
Therefore it will be good policy and common sense for 
them to acknowledge that we are acting honestly, and 
more than that, generously, and to agree to take what 
we offer them and that we shall keep what is considered 
by the best legal authorities to be our rights.^^ 


S76 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

As soon as possible an agent will be sent to Peru to 
attend to the matter, but this matter is in the bands of 
my lawyers, although, of course, I shall not keep out of 
the negotiations.’’ 

“And how much percentage. Captain?” asked Mrs. 
Cliff ; “ what part do they think you ought to keep ? ” 

“We have agreed,” said he, “ upon twenty per cent 
of the whole. After careful consideration and advice, 
I made that claim. I shall retain it ; indeed, it is already 
secured to me, no matter what may happen to the rest 
of the treasure.” 

“Twenty per cent,” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff; “and that 
is all that you get ? ” 

“Yes,” said the Captain; “it is what I get, and by 
that is meant what is to be divided among us all. I 
make the claim, but I make it for every one who was on 
the ^ Castor ’ when she was wrecked, and for the families 
of those who are not alive ; for every one, in fact, who 
was concerned in this matter.” 

The countenance of Mrs. Cliff had been falling, and 
now it went down, down, again. After all the waiting, 
after all the anxiety, it had come to this : barely twenty 
per cent to be divided among ever so many people; 
twenty-five or thirty, for all she knew. And this, after 
the dreams she had had, after the castles she had built. 
Of course, she had money now, and she would have some 
more, and she had a great many useful and beautiful 
things which she had bought, and she could go back to 
Plainton in very good circumstances; but that was not 
what she had been waiting for, and hoping for, and 
anxiously trembling for, ever since she had found 
that the Captain had really reached France with the 
treasure. 


A GOLDEN AFTERNOON 


S7T 


“ Captain,” she said, and her voice was as hnsky as if 
she had been sitting in a draught, I have had so many 
ups and so many downs, and have been turned so often 
this way and that, I cannot stand this state of uncer- 
tainty any longer. It may seem childish and weak, but 
I must know something; can you give me any idea how 
much you are to have, or, at least, how much I shall 
have, and let me make myself satisfied with whatever it 
is? Do you think that I shall be able to go back to 
Plainton and take my place as a leading citizen there ? 
I don’t mind in the least asking that before you three ; I 
thought I was justified in making that my object in life, 
and I have made it my object. Now, if I have been mis- 
taken all this time, I would like to know it. Don’t find 
fault with me ; I have waited and waited and waited — ” 

^^Well,” interrupted the Captain, ^^you need not wait 
any longer. The sum that I have retained shall be 
divided as soon as possible, and I shall divide it in as 
just a manner as I can, and I am ready to hear appeals 
from any one who is not satisfied. Of course, I shall 
keep the largest share of it ; that is my right. I found 
it, and I secured it. And this lady here,” pointing to 
Edna, “is to have the next largest share in her own 
right, because she was the main object which made me 
work so hard and brave everything to get that treasure 
here; and then the rest will share according to rank, as 
we say on board ship.” 

“ Oh, dear ! Oh, dear ! ” murmured Mrs. Cliff ; “ he never 
comes to any point. We never know anything clear and 
distinct. This is not any answer at all.” 

“The amount I claim,” continued the Captain, who 
did not notice that Mrs. Cliff was making remarks to 
herself, “ is forty million dollars.” 


378^ THE ADVENTtTEES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

Everybody started, and Mrs. Cliff sprang up as if a 
torpedo bad been fired beneath her. 

“ Forty million dollars ! ” she exclaimed. I thought 
you said you would only have twenty per cent ? 

“ That is just what it is,’’ remarked the Captain, as 
nearly as we can calculate. Forty million dollars is 
about one-fifth of the value of the cargo I brought to 
France in the ^Arato.’ And as to your share, Mrs. Cliff, 
I think, if you feel like it, you will be able to buy the 
town of Plainton ; and if that doesn’t make you a leading 
citizen in it, I don’t know what else you can do.” 


CHAPTEK L 

A CASE OP RECOGNITION 

Every one in our party at the Hotel Grenade rose very 
early the next morning. That day was to be one of activ- 
ity and event. Mrs. Cliff, who had not slept one wink 
during the night, but who appeared almost rejuvenated 
by the ideas which had come to her during her sleepless- 
ness, now entered a protest against the proposed marriage 
at the American Legation. She believed that people of 
the position which Edna and the Captain should now 
assume, ought to be married in a church with all proper 
ceremony and impressiveness, and urged that the wed- 
ding be postponed for a few days, until suitable arrange- 
ments could be made. 

But Edna would not listen to this. The Captain was 
obliged, by appointment, to be in London on the morrow, 
and he could not know how long he might be detained 


A CASE OF RECOGNITION 


379 


there, and now, wherever he went, she wished to go with 
him. He wanted her to be with him, and she was going. 
Moreover, she fancied a wedding at the Legation. There 
were all sorts of regulations concerning marriage in Trance, 
and to these neither she nor the Captain cared to conform, 
even if they had time enough for the purpose. At the 
American Legation they would be in point of law upon 
American soil, and there they could be married as Amer- 
icans, by an American minister. 

After that Mrs. Cliff gave up. She was so happy she 
was ready to agree to anything, or to believe in anything, 
and she went to work with heart and hand to assist Edna 
in getting ready for the great event. 

Mrs. Sylvester, the wife of the Secretary, received a 
note from Edna which brought her to the hotel as fast as 
horses were allowed to travel in the streets of Paris, and 
arrangements were easily made for the ceremony to take 
place at four o’clock that afternoon. 

The marriage was to be entirely private. No one was 
to be present but Mrs. Cliff, Kalph, and Mrs. Sylvester. 
Nothing was said to Cheditafa of the intended ceremony. 
After what had happened, they all felt that it would be 
right to respect the old negro’s feelings and sensibilities. 
Mrs. Cliff undertook, after a few days had elapsed, to 
explain the whole matter to Cheditafa, and to tell him 
that what he had done had not been without importance 
and real utility, but that it had actually united his master 
and mistress by a solemn promise before witnesses, which 
in some places, and under certain circumstances, would 
be as good a marriage as any that could be performed, 
but that a second ceremony had taken place in order that 
the two might be considered man and wife in all places 
and under all circumstances. 


380 THE ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HORN 


The Captain had hoped to see Shirley and Burke 
before he left Paris ; but that was now impossible, and, 
on his way to his hotel, after breakfasting at the Hotel 
Grenade, he telegraphed to them to come to him in Lon- 
don. He had just sent his telegram when he was touched 
on the arm, and, turning, saw standing by him two police 
officers. Their manner was very civil, but they promptly 
informed him, the speaker using very fair English, that 
he must accompany them to the presence of a police 
magistrate. 

The Captain was astounded. The officers could or 
would give him no information in regard to the charge 
against him, or whether it was a charge at all. They 
only said that he must come with them, and that every- 
thing would be explained at the police station. The Cap- 
tain’s brow grew black. What this meant he could not 
imagine, but he had no time to waste in imaginations. It 
would be foolish to demand explanations of the officers, 
or to ask to see the warrant for their action ; he would 
not understand French warrants, and the quicker he went 
to the magistrate and found out what this thing meant, 
the better. He only asked time to send a telegram to Mr. 
Wraxton, urging him to attend him instantly at the police 
station, and then he went with the officers. 

On the way. Captain Horn turned over matters in his 
mind. He could think of no cause for this detention, 
except it might be something which had turned up in 
connection with his possession of the treasure, or perhaps 
the entrance of the Arato,” without papers, at the French 
port. But anything of this kind Wraxton could settle as 
soon as he could be made acquainted with it. The only 
real trouble was that he was to be married at four o’clock, 
and it was now nearly two. 


A CASE OF RECOGNITION 


381 


At the police station, Captain Horn met with a fresh 
annoyance. The magistrate was occupied with important 
business and could not attend to him at present. This 
made the Captain very impatient, and he sent message 
after message to the magistrate, but to no avail, and 
Wraxton did not come ; in fact, it was too soon to expect 
him. 

The magistrate had good reason for delay. He did not 
wish to have anything to do with the gentleman who had 
been taken in custody until his accuser. Banker by name, 
had been brought to this station from his place of confine- 
ment, where he was now held under a serious charge. 

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, twenty-five minutes, 
passed, and the magistrate did not appear; Wraxton 
did not come. The Captain had never been so fiercely 
impatient. He did not know to whom to apply in this 
serious emergency. He did not wish Edna to know of his 
trouble until he found out the nature of it, and, if he sent 
word to the Legation, he was afraid that the news would 
speedily reach her. Wraxton was his man, whatever the 
charge might be ; he would be his security for any amount 
which might be named, and the business might be settled 
afterward, if, indeed, it were not all a mistake of some sort. 

But Wraxton did not appear; suddenly the Captain 
thought of one man who might be of service to him in 
this emergency. There was no time for delay ; some one 
must come, and come quickly, who could identify him, 
and the only man he could think of was Professor Barre, 
Ralph’s tutor. He had met that gentleman the evening 
before ; he could vouch for him, and he could certainly 
be trusted not to alarm Edna unnecessarily. He believed 
the Professor could be found at the hotel, and he in- 
stantly sent a messenger to him with a note. 


382 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN • 

It took a good deal of time to bring the prisoner 
Banker to the station, and Professor Barre arrived there 
before him. The Professor was amazed to find Captain 
Horn under arrest, and unable to give any reason for this 
state of things ; but it was not long before the magistrate 
appeared, and it so happened that he was acquainted with 
Barre, who was a well-known man in Paris, and, after 
glancing at the Captain, he addressed himself to the 
Professor, speaking in French. The latter immediately 
inquired the nature of the charges against Captain Horn, 
using the same language. 

Ah ! you know him ? ” said the magistrate. He has 
been accused of being the leader of a band of outlaws, a 
man who has committed murders and outrages without 
number, one who should not be suffered to go at large, 
one who should be confined until the authorities of Peru, 
where his crimes were committed, have been notified.’’ 

The Professor stared, but could not comprehend what 
he had heard. 

^^What is it?” inquired Captain Horn. ^^Can you 
not speak English ? ” 

Ho, this Parisian magistrate could not speak English, 
but the Professor explained the charge. 

It is the greatest absurdity ! ” exclaimed the Captain. 

Balph told me that a man, evidently once one of that 
band of outlaws in Peru, had been arrested for assaulting 
Cheditafa, and this charge must be part of the scheme of 
vengeance for that arrest. I could instantly prove every- 
thing that is necessary to know about me if my banker, 
Mr. Wraxton, were here ; I have sent for him, but he has 
not come. I have not a moment to waste discussing 
this matter.” The Captain gazed anxiously toward the 
door, and for a few moments the three men stood in silence. 


A CASE OF RECOGNITION 


383 


The situation was a peculiar one. The Professor 
thought of sending to the Hotel Grenade, but he hesi- 
tated ; he said to himself : The lady’s testimony would 
be of no avail. If he is the man the bandit says he is, of 
course she does not know it. His conduct has been very 
strange, and for a long time she certainly knew very 
little about him. I don’t see how even his banker could 
become surety for him if he were here, and he doesn’t 
seem inclined to come. Anybody may have a bank 
account.” 

The Professor stood looking on the ground ; the Cap- 
tain looked at him, and by that power to read the 
■thoughts of others which an important emergency often 
gives to a man, he read, or believed he did, the thoughts 
of Barre. He did not blame the man for his doubts, any 
one might have such doubts. A stranger coming to 
Prance with a cargo of gold must expect suspicion, and 
here was more, a definite charge. 

At this moment there came a message from the bank- 
ing house : Mr. Wraxton had gone to Brussels that morn- 
ing. Puguet did not live in Paris, and the Captain had 
never seen him. There were clerks whom he had met in 
Marseilles, but, of course, they could only say that he 
was the man known as Captain Horn. 

The Captain ground his teeth, and then, suddenly 
turning, he interrupted the conversation between the 
magistrate and Barre. He addressed the latter and 
asked, ^^Will you tell me what this officer has been 
saying about me ? ” He says,” answered Barre, “ that 
he believes you know nobody in Paris except the party 
at the Hotel Grenade, and that, of course, you may have 
deceived them in regard to your identity; that they have 
been here a long time and you have beeil absent, and you 


384 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

have not been referred to by them, which seems strange.” 
<^Has he not found out that Wraxton knows me?” 

He says,” answered Barre, that you have not visited 
that banking house since you came to Paris, and that 
seems strange also; every traveller goes to his banker 
as soon as he arrives.” 

I did not need to go there,” said the Captain. “ I 
was occupied with other matters ; I had just met my wife 
after a long absence.” 

don’t wonder,” said the Professor, bowing, ^^that 
your time was occupied. It is very unfortunate that your 
banker cannot come to you or send.” 

The Captain did not answer. This Professor doubted 
him, and why should he not ? As the Captain considered 
the case, it grew more and more serious. That his mar- 
riage should be delayed on account of such a preposterous 
and outrageous charge against him was bad enough. It 
would be a terrible blow to Edna ; for, although he knew 
that she would believe in him, she could not deny if she 
were questioned, that in this age of mail and telegraph 
facilities she had not heard from him for nearly a year, 
and it would be hard for her to prove that he had not 
deceived her. But the most unfortunate thing of all was 
the meeting with the London lawyers the next day! 
These men were engaged in settling a very important 
question regarding the ownership of the treasure he had 
brought to Prance, and his claims upon it, and if they 
should hear that he had been charged with being the 
captain of a band of murderers and robbers, they might 
well have their suspicions of the truth of his story of the 
treasure. In fact, everything might be lost, and the 
affair might end by his being sent a prisoner to Peru to 
have the case investigated there. What might happen 


A CASE OF KECOGNITION 


385 


then was too terrible to think of. He turned abruptly to 
the Professor. I see that you don’t believe in me,” he 
said ; “ but I see that you are a man, and I believe in you. 
You are acquainted with this magistrate; use your influ- 
ence with him to have this matter settled quickly ; do as 
much as that for me.” 

^^What is it that you ask me to do?” inquired the 
other. 

It is this,” replied the Captain. I have never seen 
this man, who says he was a member of the Eackbirds’ 
band ; in fact, I never saw any of those wretches except 
dead ones. He has never met me ; he knows nothing 
about me ; his charge is simply a piece of revenge. The 
only connection he can make between me and the Eack- 
birds, is that he knew two negroes were once the servants 
of his band, and that they are now the servants of my wife. 
Having never seen me, he cannot know me. Please ask 
the magistrate to send for some other men in plain clothes 
to come into this room, and then let the prisoner be 
brought here, and asked to point out the man he charges 
with the crime of being the captain of the Eackbirds.” 

The Professor’s face brightened, and without answer 
he turned to the magistrate, and laid this proposition 
before him. The offlcer shook his head : this would be 
a very irregular method of procedure, there were formali- 
ties which should not be set aside. The deposition of 
Banker should be taken before witnesses. But the Pro- 
fessor was interested in Captain Horn’s proposed plan. In 
an emergency of the sort, when time was so valuable, he 
thought it should be tried before anything else was done. 
He talked very earnestly to the magistrate, who at last 
yielded. 

In a few minutes three respectable men were brought 


386 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

in from outside, and then a policeman was sent for 
Banker. 

When that individual entered the waiting-room, his 
eyes ran rapidly over the company assembled there. 
After the first, he believed that he had never seen one of 
them before. But he said nothing ; he waited to hear 
what would be said to him. This was said quickly. 
Banker spoke French, and the magistrate addressed him 
directly. 

“In this room,’’ he said, “stands the man you have 
accused as a robber and a murderer, as the captain of the 
band to which you admit you once belonged. Point him 
out immediately.” 

Banker’s heart was not in the habit of sinking, but it 
went down a little now. “Could it be possible that any 
one there had ever led him to deeds of violence and 
blood ! ” He looked again at each man in the room, very 
carefully this time. Of course, that rascal Baminez 
would not come to Paris without disguising himself, and 
no disguise could be so effectual as the garb of a gentle- 
man ; but if Baminez were there, he should not escape 
him by any such tricks. Banker half shut his eyes, and 
again went over every countenance. Suddenly he smiled. 

“ My captain,” he said presently, “ is not dressed ex- 
actly as he was when I last saw him ; he is in good 
clothes now, and that made it a little hard for me to rec- 
ognize him at first. But there is no mistaking his nose 
and his eyebrows. I know him as well as if we had been 
drinking together last night. There he stands ! ” And 
with his right arm stretched out, he pointed directly to 
Professor Barre. 

At these words there was a general start, and the face 
of the magistrate grew scarlet with anger. As for the 


A CASE OF RECOGNITION 


38T 


Professor himself, he knit his brows, and looked at 
Banker in amazement. 

You scoundrel ! You liar ! You beast ! ’’ cried the 
officer ; to accuse this well-known and honorable gentle- 
man, and say that he is a leader of a band of robbers ! 
You are an impostor, a villain, and if you had been con- 
fronted with this other gentleman alone, you would have 
sworn that he was a bandit chief ! ” 

Banker made no answer, but still kept his eyes fixed 
upon the Professor. Now Captain Horn spoke: “That 
fellow had to say something, and he made a very wild 
guess of it,” he said to Barre ; “ I think the matter may 
now be considered settled ; will you suggest as much to 
the magistrate ? Truly, I have not a moment to spare.” 

Banker listened attentively to these words, and his 
eyes sparkled. 

“ You needn’t try any of your tricks on me, you scoun- 
drel Raminez,” he said, shaking his fist at the Professor ; 
“ I know you ; I know you better than I did when I first 
spoke. If you wanted to escape me, you ought to have 
shaved off your eyebrows when you trimmed your hair 
and your beard. But I will be after you yet. The tales 
you have told here won’t help you.” 

“ Take him away ! ” shouted the magistrate. “ He is a 
fiend ! ” 

Banker was hurried from the room by two policemen. 

To the profuse apologies of the magistrate. Captain 
Horn had no time to listen ; he accepted what he heard 
of them as a matter of course, and only remarked that, as 
he was not the man against whom the charges had been 
brought, he must hurry away to attend to a most impor- 
tant appointment. The Professor went with him into 
the street. 


388 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


“ Sir,” said the Captain, addressing Barre, you have 
been of the most important service to me, and I heartily 
acknowledge the obligation. Had it not been that you 
were good enough to exert your influence with the magis- 
trate, that rascal would have sworn through thick and 
thin that I had been his captain.” 

Then, looking at his watch, he said, It is twenty-five 
minutes to four ; I shall take a cab and go directly to the 
Legation. I was on my way to my hotel, but there is no 
time for that now,” and, after shaking hands with the 
Professor, he hailed a cab. 

Captain Horn reached the Legation but a little while 
after the party from the Hotel Grenade had arrived, and 
in due time he stood up beside Edna in one of the parlors 
of the mansion, and he and she were united in marriage 
by an American minister. The services were very simple, 
but the congratulations of the little company assembled 
could not have been more earnest and heartfelt. 

^^Now,” said Mrs. Cliff, in the ear of Edna, ^Gf we knew 
that that gold was all to be sunk in the ocean to-morrow, 
we still ought to be the happiest people on earth.” 

She was a true woman, Mrs. Cliff, and at that moment 
she meant what she said. 

It had been arranged that the whole party should re- 
turn to the Hotel Grenade, and from there the newly 
married couple should start for the train, which would 
take them to Calais ; and, as he left the Legation 
promptly, the Captain had time to send to his own hotel 
for his effects. The direct transition from the police 
station to the bridal altar, had interfered with his ante- 
hymeneal preparations ; but the Captain was accustomed 
to interference with preparations, and had long learned 
to dispense with them when occasion required. 


BANKER DOES SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS 389 

“ I don’t believe,” said the minister’s wife to her hus- 
band, when the bridal party had left, ^^that you ever 
before married such a handsome couple.” 

The fact is,” said he, that I never before saw stand- 
ing together such a fine specimen of a man and such a 
beautiful, glowing, radiant woman.” 

I don’t see why you need say that,” said she, quickly. 

You and I stood up together.” 

“Yes,” he replied, with a smile j “but I wasn’t a 
spectator.” 


CHAPTER LI 

BANKER DOES SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS 

When Banker went back to the prison cell, he was 
still firmly convinced that he had been overreached by 
his former captain, Raminez ; and, although he knew it 
not, there were good reasons for his convictions. Often 
had he noticed in the Rackbirds’ camp a peculiar form 
of the eyebrows which surmounted the slender, slightly 
aquiline nose of his chief. Whenever Raminez was anx- 
ious, or beginning to be angered, his brow would slightly 
knit, and the ends of his eyebrows would approach each 
other, curling upward and outward as they did so. This 
was an action of the eyebrows which was peculiar to the 
Darcias of Grenada, from which family the Professor’s 
father had taken a wife, and had brought her to Paris. 
A sister of this wife had afterward married a Spanish 
gentleman named Blanquote, whose second son, having 
fallen into disgrace in Spain, had gone to America, where 
he changed his name to Raminez, and performed a num- 


890 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

ber of discreditable deeds, among which was the deception 
of several of his discreditable comrades in regard to his 
family. They could not help knowing that he came from 
Spain, and he made them all believe that his real name 
was Eaminez. There had been three of them, besides 
Banker, who had made it the object of their lives to wait 
for the opportunity to obtain blackmail from his family, 
by threatened declarations of his deeds. 

This most eminent scoundrel, whose bones now lay at 
the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, had inherited from his 
grandfather that same trick of the eyebrows above his 
thin and slightly aquiline nose which Banker had ob- 
served upon the countenance of the Professor in the 
police station, and who had inherited it from the same 
Spanish gentleman. 

The next day Banker received a visitor. It was 
Professor Barre. As this gentleman entered the cell, 
followed by two guards, who remained near the door. 
Banker looked up in amazement. He had expected a 
message, but had not dreamed that he should see the man 
himself. 

Captain,’’ he exclaimed, as he sprang to his feet, 
“ this is truly good of you. I see you are the same old 
trump as ever, and do not bear malice.” He spoke in 
Spanish, for such had been the language in common use 
in camp. 

The Professor paid no attention to these words. I 
came here,” he said, ^Ho demand of you, why you made 
that absurd and malicious charge against me the other 
day. Such charges are not passed over in France, but I 
will give you a chance to explain yourself.” 

Banker looked at him admiringly. He plays the part 
well,” he said to himself. “ He is a great gun ; there is 


BANKER DOES SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS 391 


no use of my charging against him ; I will not try it, but 
I shall let him see where I stand. 

Captain,’’ said he, I have nothing to explain, except 
that I was stirred up a good deal and lost my temper ; I 
oughtn’t to have made that charge against you. Of course, 
it could not be of any good to me, and I am perfectly 
ready to meet you on level groimd. I will take back 
everything I have already said, and, if necessary, I will 
prove that I made a mistake and never saw you before, 
and I only ask in return that you get me out of this and 
give me enough to make me comfortable ; that won’t take 
much, you know, and you seem to be in first-class con- 
dition these days. There ! I have put it to you fair and 
square, and saved you the trouble of making me any 
offers ; you stand by me, and I’ll stand by you. I am 
ready to swear until I am black in the face that you 
never were in Peru, and that I never saw you until the 
other day, when I made that mistake about you on account 
of the queer fashion of your eyebrows, which looked just 
like those of a man who really had been my captain, and 
that I now see you are two entirely different men. I will 
make a good tale of it. Captain, and I will stick to it, 
you can rely on that. By all the saints, I hope those 
two fellows at the door don’t understand Spanish ! ” 

The Professor had made himself sure that the guards 
who accompanied him spoke nothing but French. With- 
out referring to Banker’s proposed bargain, he said to 
him, Was the captain of the bandits under whom you 
served a Spaniard ? ” 

Yes ; you were a Spaniard,” said Banker. 

From what part of Spain did he come ? ” 

^‘You let out several times that you once lived in 
Grenada.” 


892 THE ADVENTURES OE CARTAlN HORN 

What was that captain’s real name ? ” asked the 
Professor. 

^^Your name was Kaminez, unless indeed/’ and here 
his face clouded a little, unless, indeed, you tricked us ; 
but I have pumped you well on that point, and, drunk or 
sober, it was always Raminez.” 

^‘Raniinez then, a Spaniard of my appearance,” said 
the Professor, was your captain when you were in a 
band called the E-ackbirds, which had its rendezvous 
on the coast of Peru ? ” 

Yes, you were all that,” said Banker. 

Very well, then,” said Barre ; I have nothing more 
to say to you at present,” and he turned and left the cell. 
The guards followed, and the door was closed. 

Banker remained dumb with amazement. When he 
had regained his power of thought and speech, he fell 
into a state of savage fury, which could be equalled by 
nothing living, except, perhaps, by a trapped wildcat, 
and among his objurgations, as he strode up and down his 
cell, the most prominent referred to the new and incom- 
prehensible trick which this prince of human devils had 
just played upon him. That he had been talking to 
his old captain he did not doubt for a moment, and that 
that captain had again got the better of him, he doubted 
no less. 

It may be stated here, that, the evening before, the 
Professor had had a long talk with Ralph regarding the 
Rackbirds and their camp. Professor Barre had heard 
something of the matter before, but many of the details 
were new to him. 

When Ralph left him, the Professor gave himself up to 
reflections upon what he had heard, and he gradually 


BANKER DOES SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS 393 


came to believe that there might be some reason for his 
identification as the bandit captain by the man Banker. 

For five or six years there had been inquiries on foot 
concerning the second son of Senor Blanquote of Grenada, 
whose elder brother had died without heirs, and who, if 
now living, would inherit Blanquote’s estates. It was 
known that this man had led a wild and disgraceful 
career, and it was also ascertained that he had gone to 
America, and had been known on the Isthmus of Panama 
and elsewhere by the name of Baminez. Furthermore, 
Professor Barre had been frequently told by his mother 
that when he was a boy she had noticed, while on a visit 
to Spain, that he and this cousin very much resembled 
each other. 

It is not necessary to follow out the legal steps and in- 
quiries, based upon the information which he had had from 
Ralph and from Banker, which were now made by the 
Professor. It is sufficient to state that he was ultimately 
able to prove that the Backbird chief known as Baminez 
was, in reality, Tomaso Blanquote ; that he had perished 
on the coast of Peru, and that he, the Professor, was 
legal heir to the Blanquote estates. 

Barre had not been able to lead his pupil to as high a 
place in the temple of knowledge as he had hoped, but, 
through his acquaintance with that pupil, he, himself, had 
become possessed of a castle in Spain. 


394 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


CHAPTER LII 

THE CAPTAIN TAKES HIS STAND 

It was now July, and tlie Captain and Edna had 
returned to Paris. The world had been very beautiful 
during their travels in England, and, although the weather 
was beginning to be warm, the world was very beau- 
tiful in Paris. In fact, to these two, it would have been 
beautiful almost anywhere. Even the desolate and arid 
coast of Peru would have been to them as though it were 
green with herbage and bright with flowers. 

The Captain’s affairs were not yet definitely arranged, 
for the final settlement would depend upon negotiations 
which would require time, but there was never in the 
world a man more thoroughly satisfied than he. And 
whatever happened, he had enough ; and he had Edna. 
His lawyers had made a thorough investigation into 
the matter of his rights to the treasure he had dis- 
covered and brought to Europe, and they had come to 
a conclusion which satisfied them. This decision was 
based upon equity and upon the laws and usages re- 
garding treasure trove. 

The old Roman law upon the subject, still adhered to 
by some of the Latin countries of Europe, gave half of a 
discovered treasure to the finder, and half to the crown 
or state, and it was considered that a good legal stand 
could be taken in the present instance upon the applica- 
tion of this ancient law to a country now governed by 
the descendants of Spaniards. 

Whether or not the present Government of Peru, if the 
matter should be submitted to it, would take this view of 
the case, was a subject of conjecture, of course, but the 


THE CAPTAIN TAKES HIS STAND 


395 


Captain’s counsel strongly advised him to take position 
upon the ground that he was entitled to half the treasure. 
Under present circumstances, when Captain Horn was 
so well prepared to maintain his rights, it was thought 
that the Peruvian authorities might easily be made to 
see the advisability of accepting a great advantage freely 
offered, instead of endeavoring to obtain a greater advan- 
tage, and in regard to which it would be very difficult, 
if not impossible, to legally prove anything or to claim 
anything. 

Therefore it was advised that a commission should be 
sent to Lima to open negotiations upon the subject, with 
instructions to make no admissions in regard to the 
amount of the treasure, its present places of deposit, or 
other particulars, until the Peruvian Government should 
consent to a satisfactory arrangement. 

To this plan Captain Horn consented, determining, 
however, that if the negotiations of his commission 
should succeed, that he would stipulate that, at least, one- 
half the sum paid to Peru should be devoted to the 
advantage of the native inhabitants of that country, to 
the establishment of schools, hospitals, libraries, and 
benefactions of the kind. If the commission should not 
succeed, he would then attend to the matter in his own 
way. 

Thus, no matter what happened, he would still insist 
upon his claim to one-fifth of the total amount as his 
pay for the discovery of the treasure, and in this, claim 
his lawyers assured him he could be fully secured. 

Other matters were in a fair way of settlement. The 
Captain had made Shirley and Burke his agents, through 
which he would distribute to the heirs of the crew of the 
Castor ” their share of the treasure, which had been appor- 


396 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


tioned to them, and the two sailors had already gone to 
America upon this mission. How to dispose of the “ Arato ’’ 
had been a difficult question, upon which the Captain had 
taken legal advice. That she had started out from Val- 
paraiso with a piratical crew, that those pirates had made 
an attack upon him and his men, and that, in self-defence, 
he had exterminated them, made no difference in his mind, 
or that of his counsellors, as to the right of the owners 
of the vessel to the return of their property. But a 
return of the vessel itself would be difficult and haz- 
ardous. Whoever took it to Valparaiso, would be subject 
to legal inquiry as to the fate of the men who had hired it, 
and it would be, indeed, cruel and unjust to send out a 
crew in this vessel, knowing that they would be arrested 
when they arrived in port. Consequently, he determined 
to sell the “Arato,” and to add to the amount obtained 
what might be considered proper on account of her deten- 
tion, and to send this sum to Valparaiso, to be paid to 
the owners of the ^^Arato.” 

The thoughts of all our party were now turned towards 
America. As time went on, the Captain and Edna might 
have homes in different parts of the world, but their first 
home was to be in their native land. 

Mrs. Cliff was wild to reach her house, that she might 
touch it with the magician’s wand of which she was now 
the possessor, that she might touch not only it, but that 
she might touch and transform the whole of Plainton, 
and, more than all, that with it she might touch and trans- 
form herself. She had bought all she wanted. Paris had 
yielded to her everything she asked of it, and no ship 
could sail too fast which should carry her across the 
ocean. 

The negroes were all attached to the Captain’s domes- 


THE CAPTAIN TAKES HIS STAND 


397 


tic family. Maka and Cheditafa were not such proficient 
, attendants as the Captain might have employed, but he 
desired to have these two near him, and intended to keep 
them ‘there as long as they would stay. Although Mok 
- and the three other Africans had much to learn in regard 
to the duties of domestic servants, there would always 
be plenty of people to teach them. 

In his prison cell Banker sat, lay down, or walked 
about, cursing his fate and wondering what was meant 
by the last dodge of that rascal Baminez. He never 
found out precisely, but he did find out that the visit 
of Professor Barre to his cell had been of service to 
him. 

That gentleman, when he became certain that he should 
so greatly profit by the fact that an ex-brigand had pointed 
him out as an ex-captain of brigands, had determined to 
do what he could for the fellow who had unconsciously 
rendered him the service. So he employed a lawyer to 
attend to Banker’s case, and as it was not difficult to 
prove that the accused had not even touched Cheditafa, 
but had only threatened to maltreat him, and that the 
fight which caused his arrest was really begun by Mok, 
it was not thought necessary to inflict a very heavy pun- 
ishment. In fact, it was suggested in the court that it 
was Mok who should be put on trial. 

So Banker went for a short term to prison, where he 
worked hard and earned his living, and when he came 
out he thought it well to leave Paris ; and he never found 
out the nature of the trick which he supposed his old chief 
had played upon him. 

The trial of Banker delayed the homeward journey of 
Captain Horn and his party, for Cheditafa and Mok were 


398 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


needed as witnesses, but did not delay it long. It was 
early in August, when the danger from floating icebergs 
had almost passed, and when an ocean journey is gener- 
ally most pleasant, that nine happy people sailed from 
Havre for New York. Captain Horn and Edna had not 
yet fully planned their future life, but they knew that 
they had enough money to allow them to select any sphere 
of life toward which ordinary human ambitions would 
be apt to point, and if they never received another bar of 
the unapportioned treasure, they would not only be pre- 
eminently satisfied with what fortune had done for them, 
but would be relieved of the great responsibilities which 
greater fortune must bring with it. 

As for Mrs. Cliff, her mind was so full of plans for the 
benefit of her native town, that she could talk and think 
of nothing else, and could scarcely be induced to take 
notice of a spouting whale, which was engaging the atten- 
tion of all the passengers and the crew. 

The negroes were perfectly content. They were accus- 
tomed to the sea, and did not mind the motion of the 
vessel. They had but little money in their pockets, and 
had no reason to expect they would ever have much more, 
but they knew that as long as they lived they would have 
everything that they wanted, that the Captain thought 
was good for them, and to a higher earthly paradise their 
souls did not aspire. Cheditafa would serve his mistress, 
Maka would serve the Captain, and Mok would wear fine 
clothes and serve his young master, Ealph, whenever, 
haply, he should have the chance. 

As for Inkspot, he doubted whether or not he should 
ever have all the whiskey he wanted ; but he had heard 
that in the United States that delectable fluid was very 
plentiful, and he thought that perhaps in that blessed 


A LITTLE GLEAM AFAR 


399 


country that blessed beverage might not produce the 
undesirable effects which followed its unrestricted use in 
other lands. 


CHAPTER LIII 

A LITTLE GLEAM AFAR 

It was late in the autumn of that year, and upon a 
lonely moor in Scotland, that a poor old woman stood 
shivering in the cold wind. She was outside of a miser- 
able little hut, in the doorway of which stood two men. 

For five or six years she had lived alone in that little hut. 

It was a very poor place, but it kept out the wind and the 
rain and the snow, and it was a home to her ; and for the 
greater part of these years in which she had lived there 
alone, she had received, at irregular, and sometimes long, 
intervals, sums of money, often very, small and never 
large, from her son, who was a sailor man upon seas of 
which she did not even know the name. 

But for many months no money had come from this 
wandering son, and it was very little that she had been 
able to earn. Sometimes she might have starved, had it 
not been for the charity of others almost as poor as she. 
As for rent, it had been due for a long time, and at last 
it had been due so long that her landlord felt that further 
forbearance would be not only unprofitable, but that it 
would serve as a bad example to his other tenants ; conse- 
quently, he had given orders to eject the old woman from 
her hut. She was now a pauper, and there were places 
where paupers would be taken care of. 

The old wpman stood sadly shivering j her poor old 


400 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 


eyes, a little dimmed with tears, were directed southward 
toward the far-away vanishing point of the rough and 
narrow road which meandered over the moor and lost 
itself among the hills. 

She was waiting for the arrival of a cart which a poor 
neighbor had promised to borrow, and take her and her 
few belongings to the nearest village, where there was a 
good road over which she might walk to a place where 
paupers were taken care of. A narrow stream, which 
roared and rushed around or over many a rock, ran at 
several points close to the road, and, swelled by heavy 
rains, had overflowed it to the depth of a foot or more. 
The old woman and the two men in the doorway of the 
hut stood and waited for the cart to come. 

As they waited, heavy clouds began to rise in the north, 
and there was already a drizzle of rain. At last they 
saw a little black spot upon the road, which soon proved 
to be a cart drawn by a rough pony. On it came, until 
they could almost hear it splashing through the water 
where the stream had passed its bounds or rattling over 
the rough stones in other places, but, to their surprise, 
there were two persons in the cart. Perhaps the boy 
Sawney had with him a traveller who was on his way 
north. 

This was true. Sawney had picked up a traveller who 
was glad to find a conveyance going across the moor to 
his destination. This man was a quick-moving person in 
a heavy waterproof coat with its collar turned up over 
his ears. 

As soon as the cart stopped, near the hut, he jumped 
down and approached the two men in the doorway. 

^^Is that the widow McLeish?” he said, pointing to 
the old woman, 


A LITTLE GLEAM AFAR 


401 


They assured him that he was correct, and he ap- 
proached her. 

You are Mrs. Margaret McLeish ? ’’ said he. 

She looked at him in a vague sort of way and nodded. 
That’s me,” said she. Is it pay for the cart you’re 
after ? If that’s it, I must walk.” 

Had you a son, Mrs. McLeish ? ” said the man. 

Ay,” said she, and her face brightened a little. 

And what was his name ? ” 

Andy,” was the answer. 

And his calling ? ” 

A sailor man.” 

^^Well, then,” said the traveller in the waterproof, 
there is no doubt that you are the person I came here 
to see ; I was told I should find you here, and here you 
are. I may as well tell you at once, Mrs. McLeish, that 
your son is dead.” 

‘^That is no news,” she answered; ^‘1 knew that he 
must be dead.” 

But I didn’t come here only to tell you that. There 
is money coming to you through him, enough to make 
you comfortable for the rest of your life.” 

Money ! ” exclaimed the old woman. To me ? ” 

The two men who had been standing in the doorway 
of the hut drew near, and Sawney jumped down from 
the cart. The announcement made by the traveller was 
very interesting. 

Yes,” said the man in the waterproof, pulling his 
collar up a little higher, for the rain was increasing; 
^^you are to have one hundred and four pounds a year, 
Mrs. McLeish, and that’s two pounds a week, you know, 
and you will have it as long as you live.” 

Two pounds a week ! ” cried the old woman, her eyes 


402 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

shining out of her weazened old face like two grouse 
eggs in a nest. “ From my Andy ? 

^‘Yes, from your son/^ said the traveller; and, as the 
rain was now much more than a drizzle, and as the wind 
was cold, he made his tale as short as possible. 

He told her that her son had died far away in South 
America, and, from what he had gained there, one hun- 
dred and four pounds a year would be coming to her, 
and that she might rely on this as long as she lived. 
He did not state — for he was not acquainted with all 
the facts — that Shirley and Burke, when they were in 
San Francisco hunting up the heirs of the “ Castor’s ” crew, 
had come upon traces of the A. McLeish whose body 
they had found in the desert, lying flat on its back, with 
a bag of gold clasped to its breast ; that they had discov- 
ered, by means of the agent through whom McLeish had 
been in the habit of forwarding money to his mother, the 
address of the old woman, and, without saying anything 
to Captain Horn, they had determined to do something 
for her. 

The fact that they had profited by the gold her son 
had carried away from the cave, was the main reason for 
this resolution, and although, as Shirley said, it might 
appear that the Scotch sailor was a thief, it was true, 
after all, he had as much right to a part of the gold he 
had taken as Captain Horn could have. Therefore, as 
they had possessed themselves of his treasure, they 
thought it but right that they should provide for his 
mother. So they bought an annuity for her in Edin- 
burgh, thinking this better than sending her the total 
amount which they considered to be her share, not know- 
ing what manner of woman she might be, and they 
arranged that an agent should be sent to look her up. 


A LITTLE GLEAM AFAR 


403 


and announce to her her good fortune. It had taken a 
long time to attend to all these matters, and it was now 
late in the autumn. 

You must not stand out in the rain, Mrs. McLeish,’^ 
said one of the men, and he urged her to come back into 
the hut. He said he would build a fire for her, and she 
and the gentleman from Edinburgh could sit down and 
talk over matters. Ho doubt there would be some money 
in hand, he said, out of which the rent could be paid ; 
and, even if this should not be the case, he knew the 
landlord would be willing to wait a little under the 
circumstances. 

Is there money in hand for me ? asked the old 
woman. 

Yes,’’ said the traveller ; the annuity was to begin 
with October, and it is now the first of November, so 
there is eight pounds due to you.” 

Eight pounds!” she exclaimed, after a moment’s 
thought. It must be more than that. There’s thirty- 
one days in October ! ” 

That’s all right, Mrs. McLeish,” said the traveller. I 
will pay you the right amount ; but I really think you 
had better come into your house ; for it is going to be a 
bad afternoon, and I must get away as soon as I can. 
I will go as I came, in the cart ; for you won’t want it 
now.” 

Mrs. McLeish stood up as straight as she could, and 
glanced from the traveller to the two men who had put 
her out of her home. Then in the strongest terms her 
native Gaelic would afford, she addressed these two men. 
She assured them that, sooner than enter that contempti- 
ble little hut again, she would sleep out on the bare 
moor. She told them to go to their master, and tell him 


404 THE ADVENTUKES OF CAPTAIN HORN 

that she did not want his house, and that he could live 
in it himself, if he chose ; that she was going in the cart 
to Killimontrick, and she would take lodgings in the inn 
there until she could get a house fit for the habitation of 
the mother of a man like her son Andy ; and that if their 
master had anything to say about the rent that was due, 
they could tell him that he had satisfied himself by 
turning her out of her home, and if he wanted anything 
more, he could whistle for it, or if he didn’t choose to 
do that, he could send his factor to whistle for it in the 
main street of Killimontrick. 

Come, Sawney boy, put my two bundles in the cart, 
and then help me in ; the gentleman will drive, and I’ll 
sit on the seat beside him, and you can sit behind in the 
straw, and — you’re sure it’s two pounds a week, sir ? ” 
she said to the traveller, who told her that she was right, 
and then she continued to Sawney, ^‘I’ll make your 
mother a present, which will help the poor old thing 
through the winter, and I’m sure she needs it.” 

With a heavier load than he had brought, the pony’s 
head was turned homeward, and the cart rattled away 
over the rough stones and splashed through the water 
on the roadway, and in the dark cloud which hung over 
the highest mountain beyond the moor, there came a 
little glint of lighter sky, as if some lustre from the 
Incas’ gold had penetrated even into this gloomy region. 


THE END 


NorfajootJ : 

J. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith. 
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 


Novels and Short Stories 


BY 

FRANK R. STOCKTON 


CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, Publishers, New York 


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